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Whistler's first order of business

Tourism Whistler, whose primary responsibility is marketing and promoting Whistler to the rest of the world, holds its 2007 annual general meeting today. It’s probably not a date too many people have marked on the calendar.
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Tourism Whistler, whose primary responsibility is marketing and promoting Whistler to the rest of the world, holds its 2007 annual general meeting today. It’s probably not a date too many people have marked on the calendar. It doesn’t hold the drama and intrigue that comes with some municipal elections. There isn’t the excitement and partying associated with the World Ski and Snowboard Festival. And there certainly isn’t the sense of anticipation built into opening day of the ski season.

  Many of us only seem to pay attention to Tourism Whistler when we have something to complain about, such as when Tourism Whistler fees are due or there aren’t enough tourists coming into our stores. But we should be paying more attention. Tourism Whistler’s role is arguably more important to the success of the resort, and thus the sustainability of every job in town, than is municipal hall’s.

Tourism Whistler, like all of us, is not without its faults. You can make your own list. But it’s also worth keeping in mind that TW operates with a smaller budget than most of its competitors, such as the marketing machines at Vail, Aspen and any number of cruise ship lines and warm weather resorts. And operating in Canada, Tourism Whistler has fewer potential corporate partners to choose from than do American resorts.

There likely won’t be any new revelations at today’s Tourism Whistler AGM. There will be congratulations on a good winter and a good summer last year. The economy remains strong and the trends are positive in the lead up to 2010. All good stuff, for which we should be appreciative.

But it should be kept in mind that despite the strong economy, despite the boost up the global awareness index that Whistler, Vancouver and British Columbia will get with the 2010 Olympics, and despite the provincial government’s efforts to double the size of the tourism business by 2015, there are a lot of signs that suggest this is not a great time to be in the tourism trade.

We all know the trail of disasters that affected tourism starting on Sept. 11, 2001. After the terrorist attack airline travel was, for some time, something that many people avoided. This, plus the increased cost and difficulty of travel that came with new security measures, forced several airlines around the world to close up shop. That was followed by concerns in Canada over SARS and then avian flu. The rise in the Canadian dollar against the U.S. dollar also took its toll on tourism.

In the nearly six years since 9/11 the tourism business has taken on and more or less overcome these problems. In Whistler, which up until 2000-01 had enjoyed nearly 15 years of steady economic growth, the post-9/11 slump prompted some much-needed reflection. Prices, and attitudes, were adjusted where needed. Some operations became leaner. Service and value have been emphasized. And combined with good snow and decent summer weather, Whistler has bounced back.

But tourism is a bit like farming: every new season brings hope, but it could also bring some disaster beyond our control.

The issue this summer is the price of gasoline, which last weekend was at $1.30 per litre at some gas stations in Vancouver. We all know that most of Whistler’s summer visitors arrive via automobile, so the price of a vacation or weekend getaway in Whistler is going to cost more this summer. Whether gasoline prices are high enough to change people’s vacation plans remains to be seen.

A newer problem on the horizon may be the growing understanding that air travel is bad for the environment. David Suzuki recently announced that he was ending the yearly, sometimes twice yearly, trips to Australia he’s been making for nearly 20 years because of the greenhouse gas emissions caused by jets. Even Queen Elizabeth bought carbon offsets for her trip to the U.S. last week.

According to the International Air Tranpsort Association, air travel is only responsible for an estimated 2 per cent of global warming emissions. But high altitude emissions cause disproportionately more warming than those at ground level. And air travel is apparently rising 4 to 6 per cent per year.

That doesn’t mean people are going to stop traveling in planes any time soon. But as the impacts of climate change become more apparent to more of us, some will start to question the need to get on a plane for a holiday. And the “reward” for using credit cards may change from the ubiquitous air miles to some other currency.

Then there’s the issue of trying to get into Canada. With security the first thought in mind when government leaders get up in the morning in Washington and Ottawa and the last thought they have before going to bed at night, who comes and goes in this country is now watched a lot more zealously than it used to be. In general, that’s not a bad thing. But do border guards really need to protect Canadians from foreigners with 20-year-old misdemeanors on their records? The number of people kept out of Canada by border guards exercising this discretionary power is probably very, very few. But the impact on tourism in Canada if the American media decide to seize on the story could be enormous.

There are, of course, a whole list of other, well known challenges facing a town based on mountain tourism, including labour shortages, increased competition for visitors, global warming, obesity levels in North American children and perhaps “cookie cutter” resort development.

There are many issues of the day in Whistler — native land deals, getting ready for the Olympics, affordable housing — but the main order of business for everyone in town is tourism.