In The Community

Through destination development, Destination Vancouver is committed to ensuring an environment for long-term success and sustainability for the tourism industry. We work hand in hand with different levels of government, community groups and other stakeholders to establish strategies that will guide the long-term growth of tourism while supporting our community. By sharing the positive impacts that tourism has on the local community prosperity, wellbeing, and our local ecosystems. We hope to be that our fellow residents will celebrate with us the shared value the tourism industry helps to create. Our residents are an integral part of how Vancouver is welcoming, and all visitors feel embraced and leave invested in the wellbeing of the community.

Our goals are to:

• Responsibly balance the interests of residents and communities.
• Create a welcoming and enriching experience for visitors.
• Minimize environmental impact.

 Through intentional action, we will:

• Collaborate with partners to manage growth sustainably.
• Deliver meaningful social responsibility initiatives.
• Strengthen Vancouver’s destination competitiveness.

By prioritizing the goals outlined for 2024, Destination Vancouver strives to ensure that tourism in Vancouver remains a positive force for all and delivers on its purpose: To transform our communities and visitors through the power of travel.

Learn more about our community sustainability initiatives and goals in our 2024 Sustainability Goals and Impact Initiatives document.

Some partnership highlights include:

• Partnering with Buy Social Canada to develop the Guide to Social Procurement for Tourism, Hospitality and Events to help tourism businesses leverage the economic, environmental and social impact tourism can have through more intentional procurement. We have developed a practice of annual industry surveys to benchmark progress, collect stories and share the value created in our community.  
• Partnering with the City of Vancouver and Downtown Van to supporting the work of Good Night Out Vancouver’s Granville Street Team who are skilled in bystander intervention and work through education, bystander intervention, and their presence from midnight to 3:30am to make Vancouver’s vibrant nightlife district more supportive to the safety of women and vulnerable populations.
• The Neighbourhood Cleanup Party launched in Partnership with the City of Vancouver in 1995 and continues to be one of the largest civic volunteering initiatives in the city. In 2023 there was over 33 thousand volunteer hours of people giving their time to make their city cleaner and more welcoming for everyone. Destination Vancouver also organizes an annual Downtown Waterfront cleanup which brings in over 200 tourism industry volunteers to spend a morning cleaning up all the streets and public spaces.

 Check out this report from a partnership initiative with SAP where we explored how Vancouver’s tourism activities and attractions can be an asset for business and how business in other sectors can benefit from engaging with tourism.

READ: SAP Labs: Four Reasons to Make Local Attractions part of your Next Corporate Meeting
By Kirsten Sutton, Vice President and Managing Director, SAP Labs Canada