While there are currently no wildfires in Kelowna and area, below is important information for tourism business operators from our provincial marketing organization, Destination British Columbia. Tourism Kelowna continues to market our destination and our visitor centre team continues to provide travel information and planning services for summer visitors looking for up-to-date information and current conditions.
Emergency resources for BC’s tourism industry
As you know, there are some areas of the province currently dealing with wildfires, impacting visitors and businesses, and potentially influencing those who may be planning a trip to our province.
Stay safe, stay informed
During times of stress and uncertainty, it is important to share information from official sources only. There are a variety of resources available to help you prepare for emergencies, gather up-to-date information and help visitors plan their travel.
PreparedBC: Tourism Resources
Step-by-step guides to prepare businesses and their staff for emergencies, with templates and tools to help operators easily plan a fast and effective response.
- Interactive map of all active wildfires across the province.
- Twitter: @BCGovFireInfo
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BCForestFireInfo/
- Campfire bans, restrictions and forest use
Emergency Info BC
Information about emergencies in BC, including evacuation orders and alerts.
- Twitter: @EmergencyInfoBC
Drive BC
Information about road closures, major events, and transportation delays.
- Twitter: @DriveBC
BC Parks
Information regarding Provincial campgrounds and park closures.
- http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/ or #BCParks on Twitter
Recreation Sites and Trails
Alerts, closures and warnings regarding BC’s rustic campsites and recreational trails.
Environment Canada
Resource for the latest weather information, statements, and air quality advisories.
- Twitter: @environmentca
Emergency Social Services
Information regarding emergency reception centres and assistance.
- Evacuees can register with the Red Cross by calling 1-800-863-6582
- Twitter: @RedCrossBC
What business owners can do:
- Share these resources with your staff and follow key social media accounts for the latest news.
- Help your guests:
- If your business is located in an impacted area, provide your current customers and future reservations with regular updates by directing them to official information sources.
- If your business is not impacted directly, help your current guests plan the rest of their trip to areas that are safe and open for business (your local visitor centre has a wealth of information on places to stay and things to do).
- If your business is not impacted directly, be proactive with future reservations—let your customers know it’s business as usual and you are looking forward to hosting them. British Columbia is a very large province and sometimes our out-of-province guests can get confused by geographically misleading information.
- Have a plan—use the PreparedBC: Tourism Resources to prepare for emergencies and to identify potential hazards.
What Destination BC will do:
- Destination BC’s consumer marketing efforts will continue to promote the entire province, adapting to the needs of each region/community, by placing focus on areas that are not currently impacted by emergencies, and supporting impacted areas once the emergency is over and recovery has begun.
- Destination BC has also prepared messaging for our consumer website (HelloBC.com), and will push out emergency information resources to travellers through our consumer social media channels. Find our consumer messaging here.
