The Village of Cumberland will be participating in tourism services in 2022 under Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD) contract.
The CVRD’s economic development service recently transitioned to a regional tourism service following its final report, according to a press release. The new service will provide regional tourism information and destination marketing services.
The tourism services have been provided by Tourism Vancouver Island (TVI) since 2021.
Cumberland left the economic development service in 2016 and was not a part of the transition. However, they say they will participate in the regional tourism development service via contract.
CVRD board chair Jesse Ketler says the changes mean economic services will not be delivered to the region through the CVRD. They’ll be taken on by each jurisdiction.
“Businesses will still be supported locally. Regionally, the focus will be on tourism and destination marketing,” said Ketler. “Discussions demonstrated the need for this unified tourism approach to support our tourism sector and ensure a managed and collaborative approach to attracting visitors to our amazing community.”
The changes mean a similar agreement has been made with the Town of Comox.
Cumberland mayor Leslie Baird says the village is looking forward to working with the CVRD based on past experiences with TVI.
“Overall, the village has had a very positive experience working with TVI since taking on the tourism destination and marketing services on behalf of the CVRD,” she said. “TVI has made consistent efforts to be inclusive and considerate of the impacts and benefits of regional tourism initiatives on our community, despite the village not being a regional service participant.”
Cumberland staff have also been directed to work with other regional participants to find other longer-term options for a regional service.
