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Pat Bell welcomed into tourism portfolio

Tourism industry welcomes former forest minister into new job

A month ago, Pat Bell was busy selling B.C. wood products to the world. For the last two weeks, his business has been selling B.C. itself to prospective visitors from all over the globe.

Bell, who hails from the Prince George-Mackenzie riding, was appointed as Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation last week by newly sworn-in Premier Christy Clark - one of a handful of cabinet insiders to retain a portfolio after the leadership race.

The question is whether he can help tourism the same way he has helped the resurgent forest industry. Tourism has been challenged recently by a high dollar, the economic crisis and what seems like a never-ending string of disasters going back to 9/11.

"One might think that a background of overseeing forestry and mining (Bell's previous portfolio) would not be relevant to tourism; however, my understanding is that Pat Bell has an excellent reputation both within government and within industry, and he's well known for getting things done," said Barrett Fisher, president and CEO of Tourism Whistler.

Fisher also sits on the provincial advisory council for tourism, where she'll have an opportunity to work alongside Bell.

"When he was in the forest ministry he pushed the frontiers to have forest products sold in China and is credited for opening the trade relationships there. If we make an analogy to tourism, we also need to open new frontiers in China...

"He's also an avid skier and golfer, and has certainly taken a great interest in the tourism industry, even before his appointment. He's spoken about the ski industry, and the importance of ensuring that B.C. is seen as one of the most frequented ski destinations around the world."

Fisher said the reception among her colleagues in Vancouver and elsewhere has been universally positive.

The tourism industry will need assistance from the province in several areas, added Fisher, such as removing barriers to travel, exploring new opportunities like health and wellness tourism, and ensuring that the province and tourism associations have the financial resources to reach global markets. Opening roads to new markets like China is also a priority, while continuing to market with more traditional visitors.

"The Canadian Tourism Commission this past year made a decision to pull out of the U.S. so they would have more money to invest in some new, developing markets, and we're (B.C. tourism associations) concerned that there's a void left in the U.S. market," said Fisher. "How do we work with Tourism B.C. to make sure the void is filled, and tourism marketing in the U.S. is continuing to raise awareness of B.C. and driving people to destinations like Whistler?"

Bell himself has only been in the position for less than two weeks, but he's already hit the ground running.

"Since I was appointed I've sat down with a ton of folks from the tourism industry, from the ski industry, from virtually every segment you can think of," he said. "One thing I've been hearing fairly consistently is that we need a more coordinated approach; to formulate plans on our key advantages and economic opportunities and market them in a more consistent way. Everyone I talk to sends that message... especially in the ski sector where we need to capitalize more aggressively than we have because we have underutilized capacity and should be seen as a leading jurisdiction globally."

Bell has also heard that tourism associations need more support in attracting conventions and conferences.

"The third thing is we need to turn to the Asian marketplace and be more aggressive over there," said Bell. "I've spent a lot of time in China the last three years, and I want to take the things I've learned marketing forestry and turn them to tourism."

Hovering over everything is former Premier Campbell's challenge in 2003 to double tourism revenues for B.C. by 2015, from $9 billion to $18 billion annually. The high Canadian dollar and recession make it seem less possible, but Bell said it might just take a little longer.

"When I started looking at the statistics the first few days I said it's going to be tough to achieve that level of growth," said Bell. "But we've seen exceptional results in forestry by focusing our efforts, and I'm not convinced we can't achieve similar results by focusing our efforts in the tourism sector."

Bell has been lauded by the forestry industry in recent years for his handling of that portfolio, opening new markets for B.C. Wood, reopening mills around the province, the focus on wood and wood products during the Olympics, changes to the building code that favour wood, the recent success of B.C. Wood conferences in Whistler, his work creating community forests for communities and First Nations and his tough negotiating with the U.S. over B.C. lumber exports.

The stats are definitely on Bell's side. In February it was reported that 24 sawmills had reopened in B.C. over the previous two years, which is credited to Bell's marketing efforts in China and elsewhere. Last year B.C. doubled its exports to China to over $660 million, and this year the province could be closing in on a billion in annual exports.

Bell said he will spend the next 30 days studying the portfolio to see where the opportunities are to enhance tourism, then "hit the ground running" in May to ensure that there is enough funding to meet those priorities. One of those priorities is leveraging the 2010 Games.

"I really think of the Games as a legacy that will last right through the second decade of the 21st century," said Bell.