Future focus for Tourism 91原创鈥檚 efforts to draw visitors to the community will be on history and wine.

鈥淭he new brand reflects what we see as two of the strongest draws for tourism in the Township of 91原创 鈥� wine and history,鈥� Executive Director Erinn Kredba told the organization鈥檚 annual general meeting held at 91原创 Golf and Banquet Centre on April 25.

鈥淲e believe these to truly be our competitive advantage within the Fraser Valley,鈥� she said, summarizing work completed over the past year to move the association in a new direction with a refreshed brand and new website. 鈥淲ith these elements at the forefront of our marketing initiatives, we will attract residents and visitors, alike, who will naturally seek to explore the multitude of other amenities, attractions, and experiences the community has to offer.鈥�

The new user-friendly website features an easy to navigate guide for consumers that highlights what鈥檚 happening and what can be found in each of the seven Township Communities, Krebda said.

Enhanced Business listings have been made available on the site allowing stakeholders to feature imagery, promote events, include blog posts and provide visitors with accurate contact information and hours of operation.

Later this year the website will introduce online accommodation and package booking capabilities.

Kredba also announced that Tourism 91原创 now has a complete team that will be instrumental in bringing their destination development and marketing strategies to life in 2019 and beyond.

Randee Hermus joined the team as the new Senior Manager, Sales & Marketing earlier this year and Daniella Potesta, Tourism Coordinator has been on board for just over a year now.

Tourism 91原创 had Destination BC participate in the AGM with a presentation on the Power of Tourism. They shared the following statistics:

鈥淭he tourism industry鈥檚 contributions to BC鈥檚 GDP have consistently grown. In the last decade alone, Tourism contributions to provincial GDP have grown by 25%. In 2017, the industry contributed $9.0 billion to the BC economy. Tourism contributes more to British Columbia鈥檚 GDP than any other primary resource industry. And, depending on the price of oil, Tourism is often #1.鈥�

Tourism 91原创 also reported that the average occupancy and revenue from overnight stays in 2018 continues to be experiencing an upward trend.

The average occupancy was just over 73%, and represented over $25,000,000 of revenue collected by the reporting hotels.

In 2018, Tourism 91原创 launched the Grant & Sponsorship Program and confirmed that over $34,000 was awarded to event hosts this past year. A Total of $200,000 was originally budgeted for the program, to be spent over the course of several years.

Those who are hosting events in the Township of 91原创 can fill out an online application, available on the Tourism 91原创 website - https://www.tourism-langley.ca/stakeholders/grant-sponsorship-program/