The Malahat SkyWalk, Oak Bay Beach Hotel and Victoria International Airport were among the major tourism winners of awards presented by 4VI, the organization formerly known as Tourism Vancouver Island.
Tourism Vancouver Island announced last week it was forging a new path coming out of the pandemic by transitioning from a destination management organization to a social enterprise called 4VI.
The new entity will support four pillars of social responsibility — communities, businesses, culture and environment — and create partnerships where it will invest for the greater good closer to home.
“The travel and tourism industry has been forever changed by the pandemic,” said Anthony Everett, president and chief executive of 4VI. “Tourism Vancouver Island was a 60-year-old organization and we need to change with the times. We are making an industry-leading transition that will allow us to be Vancouver Island’s respected tourism advisers known for investing profits into powering the stewardship of our destination and our home.”
The Malahat SkyWalk, which opened in 2020 as part of a partnership with the Malahat First Nation, won the People’s Choice Award as a “thoughtful, well designed, educational and accessible” new addition to the Island’s tourism market.
The Resilient Business of the Year went to Kaatza Station Museum in Lake Cowichan. The award celebrates industry members who participated in the Vancouver Island Coastal Tourism Resiliency Program and demonstrated the ability to innovate, adapt and build during the course of the pandemic.
The Kaatza Station Museum leveraged program offerings to complete a website re-design, e-commerce set up, TripAdvisor optimization and more, including taking on a new partnership to support reconciliation: a meeting place featuring Indigenous art, history and information displays in Lake Cowichan.
Oak Bay Beach Hotel won the Employer of the Year Award as it focused on retention and development of staff this past year, identifying the need to focus on the mental health and wellness of their team, as well as their growth. Through various programs, Oak Bay Beach Hotel addressed some of the cost-of-living realities while creating a culture of balance and growth with their team, and achieved the highest employee engagement scores they’ve ever recorded.
The Employee of the Year Award went to Josh Brown of Black Rock Oceanfront Resort in Ucluelet.
Brown has worked for Black Rock for just over 10 years, starting as a houseperson and moving his way up to duty manager. Called a “Josh of all trades, he is the champion of the resort’s Green Team, implementing an improved recycling process.
Victoria Airport Authority won the social responsibility award. Victoria International Airport received the Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certified Gold rating — the second airport in British Columbia and fourth in Canada to achieve the rating. In addition, YYJ implemented a Curbside Assistance Program where its passenger engagement and safety officers help people with disabilities to move through the terminal. In 2021, the team responded to over 700 requests for assistance.
dkloster@timescolonist.com
