Invest in Iconics

PLACE BRANDING

The Invest in Iconics Strategy is focused on creating globally compelling brands for routes and places to elevate them to compete on the world stage. The development of these brands will go hand-in-hand with Place Making activities, to ensure that the emotional promise of our branding is delivered by on-the-ground experiences when visitors arrive and travel in BC. Place Branding for the Invest in Iconics Strategy is about taking BC’s extraordinary routes and places and making them more famous and more globally compelling than they are now.

We have identified routes and places that, in total, cover the entire province. With consistent, collective investment in place branding and place making over the next few years, each has the potential to become iconic and compete on a global stage. We are still in the process of validation with all of these concepts.

Learn more about Place Branding.

PLACE MAKING (Destination Development)

Through the Invest in Iconics Strategy, we will work in different ways to encourage travelers to visit more areas of the province, in more seasons. While branding is a critical component of the strategy, these iconic brands will only thrive and survive if they are supported by equally compelling on-the-ground experiences through our Place Making activities. Place Making is the process of developing long-term competitiveness. It is focused on enhancing existing experiences, and creating new experiences that elevate and deliver on the uniqueness of each Iconic Place Brand.

The Iconics will help visitors grapple with the sheer size and tremendous diversity of what we offer in this immense province. And, they will help the tourism ecosystem increase alignment with and investment in support of unifying brands. Over time, as the Iconic routes and places are developed, British Columbians across the province will reap the benefits as we all work together to build, strengthen, and promote these special places we call home. 

When Place Making and Place Branding come together, we will achieve our goal of driving industry revenue growth and ensuring that visitor experiences deliver on the brand promise. Destination BC continues to work with communities across the six tourism regions to build on existing destination development strategies that pull together planning, policy, and capacity building efforts. 

Even though Place Branding typically takes place first, Place Making is a critically important part over the long run. It’s the activity that really brings the destination to life as the brand intended it too.

While this work is being completed, we will work with our partners on the continued execution of other essential areas of the existing destination development plans. This includes improving transportation and ease of access, having an available and knowledgeable workforce, critical supporting infrastructure, enabling policies, and public and private investment. You can explore how our province is working together with various partners, to address impediments to tourism growth and strengthen relationships to capitalize on future tourism opportunities by clicking through to each region below.

Regions

• Cariboo Chilcotin Coast >
• Kootenay Rockies >
• Northern BC >
• Thompson Okanagan >
• Vancouver, Coast & Mountains >
• Vancouver Island >