Thom Tischik, the Revelstoke Accommodation Association’s marketing manager, has been tapped to serve on Destination British Columbia’s Tourism Marketing Committee.
Tischik has decades of experience in tourism marketing and is a past executive director of the Revelstoke Chamber of Commerce.
The committee will provide the Crown corporation’s board of directors and CEO with recommendations on tourism marketing strategies, tourism performance indicators, ways to encourage alignment in tourism marketing activities, and ways to leverage funds for tourism marketing programs.
“The establishment of this committee ensures that tourism stakeholders from across the province have an active role in strengthening and aligning our marketing efforts,” Board Chairwoman Andrea Shaw said in a statement released Wednesday. “The board and staff at Destination British Columbia look forward to working with this experienced and knowledgeable group of tourism industry marketing experts. I would like to thank all of the applicants for their interest in serving on the committee and their support for BC’s tourism industry.”
The Tourism Marketing Committee is comprised of nominees identified by each of the six Regional Destination Marketing Organizations (RDMOs). Two Destination British Columbia Board members will also sit on the Committee, which will be chaired by Destination British Columbia’s CEO. The Tourism Marketing Committee members are:
- Kathy Cooper, Managing Director — Kootenay Rockies Tourism
- Pat Corbett, Owner — The Hills Health Ranch
- Harley Elias, Faculty — Tourism & Hospitality and Business Programs at North Island College and Owner/Operator, Protected Water Charters
- Anthony Everett, CEO — Northern BC Tourism Association
- Keith Henry, CEO — Aboriginal Tourism Association of British Columbia
- Ingrid Jarrett, VP, Business Development — Watermark Beach Resort
- Andre Kuerbis, Manager — Chilcotin Holidays
- Ryan MacIvor, General Manager — Global
- Angela Rafuse-Tahir, Director of Sales and Marketing — The Fairmont Empress
- Stuart Rempel, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Sales — Whistler Blackcomb
- Saeedeh Salem, Winery Sales and Marketing — Enotecca Wineries and Resorts
- Steve Smith, Owner — Crest Hotel
- John Stibbard, Vice President of Operation s— Capilano Suspension Bridge
- Amy Thacker, CEO — Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Tourism Association
- Thom Tischik, Marketing Manager — Revelstoke Accommodation Association
- Joel Tkach, Manager — PassengerSpectrum Facility Management, Encana Events Centre
- Glenn Mandziuk, CEO — Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association
- Mike McPhee, Director of Sales and Marketing — Island Lake Resort Group
- Dave Petryk, President and CEO — Tourism Vancouver Island Marketing and Vancouver Airport Authority
- Gordon Fitzpatrick (Destination British Columbia Board Member)
- Loring Phinney (Destination British Columbia Board Member)
“Our government formed Destination British Columbia in partnership with BC’s tourism industry and designed it to be industry-led,” said Shirley Bond, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training. “This Tourism Marketing Committee will ensure that industry and communities, not government, drive and develop the creative vision to market our rich tourism resources to the world. We’re confident that this approach to tourism marketing will help us meet our target of growing tourism revenues to $18 billion by 2016.”
Destination British Columbia and BC’s six Tourism Regions (Cariboo Chilcotin Coast, Kootenay Rockies, Northern BC, Thompson Okanagan, Vancouver Island, and Vancouver, Coast and Mountains) worked together to coordinate a consistent, accountable and transparent application process, across the province, to solicit nominations for the Tourism Marketing Committee. The process used to identify names was region-led. Each RDMO reviewed the applications to confirm a variety of skills and perspectives were represented, short listing the applicants from their region to five qualified nominees. Each RDMO designated up to two representatives from their staff or board, who were not nominees for the Committee, to attend a provincial meeting to confirm the final recommended nominees from each region. The nominations were then submitted to Destination British Columbia’s Board of Directors for consideration.
For more information on the Tourism Marketing Committee, including member bios, please visit:
http://www.destinationbc.ca/About-Us/Tourism-Marketing-Committee.aspx#.UbesdOeG2So
