Community members and shareholders on Haida Gwaii, working with the support of Tourism B.C.’s Community Tourism Foundations Plan, have approved a new Tourism Development Strategy.

The document, resulting from a planning process undertaken since November 2007, will provide a comprehensive new

framework for tourism development for the Islands. This framework will be implemented by the Misty Isles Economic Development Society (MIEDS) under the auspices of a soon-to-be-created Tourism Advisory Committee, which will be responsible for island-wide destination marketing and tourism infrastructure development.

Travis Glasman, Executive Director of MIEDS, is optimistic about the Strategy and what it means for the future of tourism on the Islands.

“The CTF process has enabled Haida Gwaii to come together with the various stakeholders and organizations, and be able to complete a single, unified tourism plan for the Islands. We’ve had a number of attempts in the past, in various ways, to do it, but this has been the most comprehensive approach done that I’m aware of.”

“The Strategy gives us some of the framework and foundation from which to move forward with collective destination marketing for Haida Gwaii. The other main element involves clearly identifying some of the improvements that we need to make locally in order to attract and retain visitors to the Islands.”

On the role of MIEDS in the process, Glasman remarked that the Society has “stepped up to shepherd the process along as it moves from the CTF process to a much more specifically Island-driven process to implementing the Tourism Plan”.

The Community Tourism Foundations Plan offers communities a range of tools, resources, consultation and facilitation services to assist them in developing a comprehensive, multi-year tourism plan. Since 2005 the CTF Plan has provided tourism planning assistance to over 100 communities across

B.C.

“It’s really provided an avenue for, and the funding capacity, to be able to complete a single plan for the Islands,” said

Glasman.