When the municipality’s Economic Development Committee (EDC) proposed to develop a consistent brand for Bowen Island, my friend Virginia Penny, a graphic designer, told me she came up with a slogan soon after she moved here - Bowen Island: Breathe Deeply. I like it. It describes what we have here on our rocky island: clean breathable air, and the quiet time to enjoy it.
Of course, branding is more than just coming up with a catchy slogan. It’s about deciding who we are and how we want to project that to the world. Gordon Ganong, Chair of the EDC, tells me the branding exercise is a way of getting at “the heart of Bowen itself.” When they receive funding, they will initiate “public engagement to come to consensus on what we are” and to “articulate our unique brand.”
Although the branding exercise is not just about tourism, I wanted to talk with Murray Atherton of the newly created Tourism Bowen Island It’s important to pay attention to someone who brought the Olympic Torch to Bowen, and who loves this island as much as I do. Murray told me they are coming to realize that Bowen has “a visitor industry rather than a tourism industry. Half of the people who come to Bowen are visiting family and friends. Many of them are day-trippers.”
Before Murray became a permanent resident 15 years ago, his own personal slogan as a weekender was: “Bowen: my twenty-minute ferry ride to sanity.” He believes the biggest challenge for the Bowen day-visitor is this: “they’re standing on the dock wondering what they’re going to do now.” The answer to that question is coming soon in the shape of the Bowen Island Welcome Centre, a 24’ x 12’ gazebo on the main dock, with huge maps. They have a grant to start building in December. An Ambassador Program is also in the works, with volunteers eager to welcome visitors. Can’t wait. Didn’t you love the dashing sight of Murray welcoming visitors during Steamship Days? He was wearing a vintage cutaway jacket, ascot, spats – and shorts. It was a hot weekend.
Murray praised the efforts of Sheree Johnson and Edward Wachtman, members of the EDC Sub-Committee and so I phoned them to get a lesson on branding. “Brands already exist in the hearts and minds of islanders and visitors,” said Edward. The challenge is to “identify and articulate this at deep emotional levels.” Sheree and Edward focus on the role of storytelling in the branding process. “A story, a unifying entity, binds people together to share a common vision.” I asked about one of the original Bowen brands - The Happy Isle – popular during the heyday of the steamships when Bowen was a mecca for visitors. Edward suggested, “it might still apply. But we have to ask: what does happy feel like?”
So what do visitors/tourists do on Bowen to make them happy? Sheree mentioned the survey: 4,000 information cards placed in various island establishments by the EDC last summer. Visitors were asked why they came and what they did here. Although only three hundred or so visitors responded, it’s a fascinating report, and it was evident that most visitors appreciated the tranquility they found here, something in short supply in the city where most of them live. Almost half the respondents said they did nothing in particular, just relaxing. When they were asked to describe their experience in a few words, “peaceful,” “quiet,” “beautiful,” “calm” occurred over and over again.
Chris Corrigan may not have a brand for Bowen but he has been working with a novel way to do tourism: “The village is the convention centre,” he told me. “For the last five years I’ve been bringing people to Bowen for leadership development. They come to the land, rest for five days, go deep and then go out again. The land itself calls. It calls us to do nothing. Go there and rest.”
A recent article in The New Republic reports that silence is the new luxury product. From noise-cancelling headphones to silent dishwashers, “there has never been quite so great a premium placed on silence,” writes Chloe Schama. “Not only do we value silence in a general sense, we are willing to pay for it.” The sale of silence extends to tourism: Amtrak has a silent car; and B.C. Ferries has Seawest, a Quiet Lounge. Upscale hotels promise you peace and quiet. And silent retreats are everywhere.
Seems Bowen Island is well positioned to take advantage of this trend. Perhaps what we have to offer the tourist is exactly why most of us came here in the first place: a small village, a caring community, stunning landscapes and beaches, an abundant natural world. And peace and quiet.
