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.

Perhaps the most substantial benefit of belonging to WTABC is knowing that you belong to an organization that you can call on when needed.

Note: If you are a Sea Kayaking Tour Operator, joining the WTA automatically makes you a member of the Sea Kayak Tour Operators Association (SKOA).

Membership Categories

Business

A Tourism Business membership with WTABC is based on the number of employees. In addition, there is a category for self-employed tourism businesses of one employee.

BUSINESS TYPE – # OF EMPLOYEES – FEE

Large Business – 100+ employees = $1,500
Medium Business – 51-100 employees = $775
Small Business – 2-50 employees = $450
Self-employed – 1 employee = $250

DMO / RDMO

A Regional Destination Marketing Organization (RDMO) / Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) / Chamber membership with WTABC is based on the size of the organization’s budget.

DMO TYPE – RDMO/DMO/CHAMBER BUDGET SIZE – FEE

Large DMO – Budget over $4.0 million = $5,500
Medium DMO – Budget of $500,000 to $4 million = $2,000
Small DMO – Budget less than $500,000 = $775

SECTOR ASSOCIATION

A Sector Association membership with WTABC is based on the membership revenues earned by the sector association.

ASSOCIATION TYPE – ASSOCIATION REVENUE – FEE

Large Sector Association – Membership revenues over $150,000 = $3,000
Medium Sector Association – Membership revenues from $75,000 to $150,000 = $1,500
Small Sector Association – Membership revenues less than $75,000 = $450

GUIDE

Guide Membership = $50

This annual membership is available to any guide that has been actively employed in a wilderness tourism company in British Columbia in the last 12 months. Guides do not receive voting privileges at WTABC’s AGM but can be eligible for member discounts and have access to member resources.

STUDENT

Student Membership = $25

This annual membership is available to any student enrolled in a tourism-related educational program in British Columbia. Students do not receive voting privileges at WTABC’s AGM, but can be eligible for member discounts.

MEMBERSHIP

The WTABC has adopted an industry stakeholder model where all wilderness, adventure or nature based tourism operators and those associated with nature based tourism like sector associations, regions, DMO’s, education institutions, suppliers, consultants and ‘friends’ are considered stakeholders. The WTABC has two categories of stakeholders: voting and non-voting.

As a voting stakeholder of the WTABC, you support a dynamic organization representing the collective interests and concerns of BC’s wilderness or nature based tourism industry. The primary role of the WTABC is to provide leadership and advocacy on issues that are important to its stakeholders. This allows our stakeholders to continue to pursue their business interests. There are hundreds of nature based tourism businesses in BC who use our wilderness recreational resources and the WTABC is the only organization, which represents their interests and concerns. Destination Marketing Organizations can’t provide this service nor should they.

By becoming a WTABC Voting Stakeholder not only do you help to protect your investment – protecting the land and water resources that support your businesses, and securing access to high-quality opportunities and experiences, but you also have access to the resources, benefits and privileges of the WTABC including:

Voting at the AGM and other meetings of the association, including the election of the Board of Directors.
Effective advocacy, lobbying and information exchange on issues facing operators and the greater industry;
Representation on issues of importance to your business and/or sector including official representation in the Government/Industry Committees, Forums and planning processes;
The opportunity to inform and shape WTABC and industry priorities, policies, standards and best practices;
Expert advice and/or assistance on your issues of concern such as land use conflicts, tenure security, liability and operating practices.
Access to industry research, reports and marketing studies.
Regular and informative newsletters, bulletins and updates via email.
Industry promotion including listings on the BE WILD IN BC Tour Operator Directory that ‘hot links’ to your business website, and WTABC Stewardship Stories.

General Inquiries: admin@wilderness-tourism.bc.ca
Marketing Inquiries: marketing@wilderness-tourism.bc.ca

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