BC’s controversial tourism marketing organization Destination BC has a new nine-member board of directors, the majority of whom either own a tourism business or are employed by one.
But that hasn’t silenced critics who believe the organization should have board-level representation from all corners of the province. None of the directors is from northern B.C., nor do any live on Vancouver Island or in the Kootenays.
“The board is heavily overweight with people from Vancouver,” said Brian White, director of Royal Roads University’s school of tourism and hospitality.
“If there’s going to be a Destination BC board that’s credible, it has to be able to have connections and networks in each of the regions because they are so different.”
Destination BC chairwoman Andrea Shaw defended the board’s regional representation by saying that three of its nine members live outside Metro Vancouver.
They are:
•Al Raine, mayor of Sun Peaks;
•Gordon Fitzpatrick, CedarCreek Estate Winery president; and
•Susan Tamiko Doi, general counsel and corporate secretary of Whistler Blackcomb.
Metro Vancouver-based board members are:
•Wendy Lisogar-Cocchia, president of Absolute Spa Group;
•Laird Miller, CFO of both Sonora Resort and London Drugs;
•Robert Pratt, president of Coast Hotels & Resorts;
•Gibby Jacob, hereditary chief of the Squamish Nation; and
•Loring Phinney, vice-president of corporate marketing at Bell Canada.
Shaw, who is also the founder and managing partner of TwentyTen Group, told Business in Vancouver February 6 that her organization’s structure will include a marketing committee that will have 18 members. Each of the province’s six regional destination marketing organizations – also known as RDMOs – will nominate three members that will be appointed to this committee, she said.
She could not say whether these members will control how marketing dollars are spent.
“I’m a newbie at this,” she said. “[Board members] just met each other last week and we will have our first board meeting in a couple weeks so I don’t have all the details.”
Tourism industry insiders eagerly await the next legislative session in Victoria when the Liberals are expected to introduce a bill to officially create Destination BC and outline its governance structure. •
