Provincial Government’s Budget 2021 Earmarks $120 Million for Tourism

The Provincial Government has released Budget 2021, which focuses on protecting residents’ health and livelihoods through the pandemic, while making investments in services, infrastructure and opportunities to support a strong recovery. The budget includes $100 million to support tourism recovery starting in 2021-22, and $20 million in destination development grants that will help communities prepare for future visitors through new tourism infrastructure like trails and airport improvements.

Tourism funding will help to:

• Ensure tourism businesses and communities emerge from the pandemic ready to thrive when visitors return.
• Improve campgrounds and trails, while adding up to 100 new campsites throughout the province each year, starting in 2022.
• Create over 85,000 jobs across BC with record infrastructure investments.

Government has worked closely with the tourism sector over the past year to provide supports during this challenging time. These include:

• $68 million in tourism relief and recovery measures, as part of the Fall 2020 StrongerBC plan, including investments to help municipalities build, adapt and diversify their tourism infrastructure; and funding for Destination BC to market BC domestically and secure its spot in the international tourism market when it safe to welcome visitors.
• $5 million to help local Indigenous tourism businesses, with grants of up to $45,000 providing relief and recovery supports.
• $100 million of the Small- and Medium-sized Business Grant funding targeting tourism operators. $20 million for community destination development grants that will help communities prepare for future visitors through new tourism infrastructure like trails and airport improvements.

Government is supporting the restaurant and hospitality industry by:

• Supporting 14,000 restaurants, bars, breweries, wineries, gyms and fitness centres with more than $50 million through Circuit Breaker Business Recovery Grants.
• Helping restaurants, bars and tourism operators with liquor licenses purchase beer, wine and spirits at wholesale liquor pricing permanently, for additional financial relief.
• Issuing a temporary cap on fees charged to restaurants by food delivery companies to 15%, so restaurants can continue operating online.
• Hiring hundreds of tourism and hospitality staff laid off through the pandemic to support with BC’s immunization plan as non-clinical staff at immunization clinics throughout the province.

Ongoing business supports include:

• $150 million to support the StrongerBC Increased Employment Incentive tax credit, which provides a tax credit for private sector employers who increased their payroll through new employees or compensation increases in the last quarter of 2020.
• $10 million over three years to expand the Grow BC, Feed BC and Buy BC strategies, helping to strengthen and expand the domestic market for BC products.
• A tax support to help businesses pivot or upgrade operations, which is open for submission now through September 2021 with an estimated 110,000 incorporated businesses eligible.
• $195 million in funding to continue the Small- and Medium-Sized Business Recovery Grant program, including easier access and expanded eligibility requirements.

As BC moves through the pandemic and into recovery, government will continue to work with business and tourism stakeholders, as well as health officials, to ensure the tourism sector is poised to welcome back the world as soon as it’s safe to do so. Learn more here.