In late 2022, Tourism Kelowna engaged University of British Columbia graduate student, Gabrielle Heschuk, to embark on a research project in partnership with Mitacs Accelerate.The project initially focused on regenerative and sustainable tourism and how to advance this part of tourism in the Central Okanagan. However, when the surveys and research were interrupted due to the McDougall Creek wildfire in August 2023, the project's focus shifted.
The research project centres on elements of disaster management, including:
- Identifying factors that increase vulnerability.
- How can destinations navigate emergencies and manage their reputations?
- Community responses to disasters.
- How are these elements directly related to the resiliency of a community’s tourism sector?
The research, which includes a thorough literature review and interviews from local, regional, and provincial industry experts, concludes that “when tourism is valued, resources are appropriately allocated, resiliency strategies are implemented, and sustainability can be prioritized. Environmental degradation is reduced, and social capital is built.”
Gabrielle presented the results of her work—which was supervised by Dr. Donna Senese, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Students, and Associate Professor of Geography—at Tourism Kelowna’s Stewardship Symposium in September 2024. An Executive Summary of the research is available here.
A Tourism Recovery Toolkit, which highlights short-, medium-, and long-term strategies for businesses to become more resilient to natural disasters and other significant stressors, was launched as part of Gabrielle's presentation. Industry members can download the toolkit here. Dr. Senese referenced the results of this project and the recovery toolkit as an essential resource for the industry when presenting at the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association's Annual Summit in October this year.
For more information about this project, please do not hesitate to contact me at chris@tourismkelowna.com or gabrielleheschuk@gmail.com.
