Introduction
Tourism is one of Ucluelet’s main economic drivers, employing 400-500 people regionally and generating $50-60 million in regional spending each year. Done right, tourism can bring many benefits to communities; doing it right requires proactive planning and ongoing governance for community success.
The District of Ucluelet and Tourism Ucluelet have embarked on a Tourism Plan that will identify a shared community vision for tourism, and strategies to achieve it. The plan will build on the assets that have made tourism and collaboration successful to date, leverage what Ucluelet is good at, proactively align with community expectations, and identify new opportunities and strategies for meeting a changing visitor need and demand.
What is a Tourism Plan?
More than any other industry, tourism requires collaboration and partnering amongst local, regional and provincial organizations as well as local residents, business groups and operators. A community-based tourism plan is a document informed by the community and developed by a group of stakeholders with a broad cross-section of interests related to tourism. The planning process provides an opportunity for business, local government, cultural organizations, other community-based groups and community members to:
- Identify a tourism vision that supports broad community desires
- Understand tourism resources and potential
- Identify and capitalize on existing and emerging tourism opportunities
- Address tourism obstacles to overcome
- Allocate resources to pursue actions in the short/medium/long term
- Set the future stage for long term success