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The Wilderness Tourism Association
The Wilderness Tourism Association of British Columbia (WTABC) supports BC’s world-class wilderness based tourism operators. Working with industry, government, and non-government organizations to address threats and opportunities for a healthy industry and environment.
Wilderness Retreats
Explore our curated collection of iconic wilderness retreats across British Columbia!
Shoreline Clean Up 2021
Click here to learn about the largest-ever expedition to remove marine debris from our shoreline.
COVID-19 Information
Important Information for Tour Operators from the Wilderness Tourism Association.
Key areas of advocacy and policy development for the WTA include:
- Sector specific issues including forestry stewardship, pipelines, land tenure, and open-net salmon farms.
- Strategic Alliances with Government and Tourism Organizations
- Ongoing Communication with Wilderness Tourism Operators
Comprised of Wilderness Tour Companies, DMOs, and Wilderness Tourism Industry Experts, WTABC assists tour operators to address threats and opportunities helping them thrive.
Benefits of Membership
To have a strong and sustainable wilderness tourism industry we need to have a robust industry organization with independent funding. We can only achieve our goals of protecting the land and water resources that support our businesses, and securing access to high quality opportunities and experiences if we have a strong stakeholder base of wilderness tourism operators from every area of the province.
Join the Wilderness Tourism Association and help support a strong and sustainable wilderness tourism industry by protecting the land and water resources that support our businesses. Learn, network, and achieve success with other industry stakeholders, and stay ahead of today’s tourism industry opportunities and challenges.
As a voting stakeholder of the WTA you will support a dynamic organization representing both the individual and the collective interests and concerns of BC’s wilderness or nature based tourism industry.
Value of Tourism in British Columbia
Wilderness tourism, also known as nature based tourism, rural tourism, or commercial backcountry recreation, adventure tourism or ecotourism, is a key contributor to BC’s GDP and a significant private sector employer in BC.
Wilderness tourism in BC provides:
- $2 billion in revenue
- 26,000 direct full-time jobs and some 40,000 jobs in total.
These figures do not include the billions of dollars in tourism supply services (hotels, restaurants, transportation, etc) that the sector supports.
The quality of BC’s wilderness is an important factor for travellers choosing BC as a tourism destination. Although only a percentage of tourists may experience BC’s wilderness firsthand, they come to BC because of our wilderness reputation.
Most tourism services, including hotels and motels, even in urban areas, derive some portion of their income from visitors attracted by the natural beauty and attractions unique to B.C.