Bowen Island's economy can benefit from visitors and partnerships can help to implement initiatives that can boost the numbers, says Shawna Leung, director of community relations of the Vancouver, Coast and Mountains Tourism Region. She traveled to Bowen Island to address the Economic Development Advisory Committee and members of the public in an open meeting on Tuesday, April 2.
After her presentation, Leung stopped at the Undercurrent office with Maria Steernberg, manager of the Bowen Island Chamber of Commerce. Both were excited about working closely with the community to promote Bowen as a destination for visitors.
According to Leung, the last time Bowen Island accessed funding through Community Tourism Opportunities was in 2008/2009, when a Tourism BC facilitator come to Bowen Island to "walk the community through a tourism plan." The Community Tourism Foundation Program allocated funding for four projects: the Come to your Senses initiative that aimed to bring visitors from off-island by offering packages, Applefest, an arts and culture banner program and the creation of an image bank. After the four year gap, Leung looks forward to connecting with the community again to "revisit the community plan from 2008, updating it and implementing initiatives."
"The organization I represent works with 39 communities throughout the region, Bowen Island included," Leung said, adding that this year, she has applied for a $9,200 grant for Community Tourism Opportunities on behalf of Bowen. "This is a $1 million program through the province and over 100 communities apply," she said, adding that the funding has to be matched locally through community partners, municipal funding, in-kind donations or with other grants. She will hear back at the beginning of May and, if it goes ahead, she'll bring the initiative to Bowen Island where the "community will decide which development and marketing initiatives are going to be priorities for funding."
Leung said that she sees awareness-building as one of the priorities and mentioned the Hello B.C. website that includes a Bowen Island section. "It is 15 pages long and had 15,000 views in 2012 but the information hasn't been updated since 2010," Leung said, adding that there is also a calendar of events and a blog available to showcase what the island has to offer.
A great place to start would be with a signage audit, according the Leung, who has noticed that on approaching the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal, destinations like Nanaimo and the Sunshine Coast have more prominence than Bowen Island. "We also look at beautification options for the community and the marketing side with an increasing online presence," Leung says. "We want to build partnerships that can involve everyone on the island who provides key experiences and want to collaborate with communities on the mainland."
Promoting festivals and events can be a stepping stone for visitors to come and discover what Bowen has to offer. Leung hopes that once people realize that this is an easy and affordable destination, they will want to return, stay for longer periods and travel in the off-season.
"Some people think that Bowen Island is far away or that it is difficult to get here," she said, adding that her friends come to Bowen to hike or kayak and her daughter always remembers the candy store. Leung also says that she has attended corporate retreats on Bowen.
Steernberg added that other activities that are popular with visitors include boating, golfing, browsing local shops and eateries and sampling arts, culture and history. "We are promoting Bowen as a green get-away," she said. "We have this park of over 600 acres right where people get off the ferry."
Another goal is to build awareness in the community of the value of visitors, says Leung. Steernberg added, "We are going to work together very closely."
