Tourism Resources, Plans, & Research

Ample resources are available for BC's tourism industry. Find support for learning, marketing, communications, HR, product development, and industry advocacy below, as well as links to local strategic plans and reports.

Sunshine Coast Tourism also conducts research on various aspects of the local tourism industry and its visitors. This market research provides data to support the activities of branding and positioning the Sunshine Coast as a destination and informs its collaborative management and development. The information provided on this page will be updated regularly and should prove helpful in examining tourism patterns.

Reports & Plans

Sunshine Coast Tourism Strategic Plan Documents:

• 2024 Annual Tactical Plan
  • A detailed, tactical look at Sunshine Coast Tourism's planned activities for the 2024 calendar year.
• 5-Year Strategic Plan 2021-2026
  • Sunshine Coast Tourism's guiding strategy for the current five-year period, identifying high-level goals, objectives, and strategies. This document was developed through thorough stakeholder consultation and signed off on through the submission of our MRDT program application
• 10-Year Destination Development Strategy
  • A comprehensive strategic plan focused on the 'supply side' of the destination, including infrastructure, experience, and service (rather than marketing and demand generation). This document was created by Destination BC in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture, and Sport and with Sunshine Coast Tourism, Indigenous Tourism BC, and multiple local and regional groups including municipal and regional governments, First Nations, economic development organizations, tourism industry, and more.
• Visitor Services Strategy
  • A strategic plan resulting from the efforts of the Sunshine Coast's core visitor service teams coming together to work on shared vision and priorities that help shape an exceptional visitor experience.
     

Studies & Reports Commissioned by Sunshine Coast Tourism:

• Connect the Coast - Phase 2 Preliminary Design Report: An All Ages and Abilities Active Transportation Route Linked Sechelt to Lund

  • Connect the Coast is a project originally initiated by Transportation Choices Sunshine Coast (TraC), to encourage the creation of a "AAA" (all ages and abilities) multi-use cycling and pedestrian path along the Highway 101 corridor. Initially, TraC examined the first phase of the route from Langdale to Sechelt, and produced a preliminary design report detailing their findings.  Sunshine Coast Tourism saw an opportunity to extend this exciting project, continuing with phase two covering Sechelt to Lund.  After securing a $50,000 grant from the federal Active Transportation Fund, Sunshine Coast Tourism commissioned a report to develop the proposed route and preliminary design, including a thorough review of GIS data, local and provincial government plans, capital cost estimates, and site visit analysis.  The report breaks this corridor into 20 segments and presents recommendations for appropriate active transportation infrastructure to serve people of all ages and abilities, assigns a priority for implementation to each segment, and offers high-level cost estimates for construction of the recommended infrastructure.

Market Research

Please see the following resources for market research relevant to the Sunshine Coast's tourism industry. This information should prove helpful in examining tourism patterns and trends.

• Sunshine Coast Tourism Consumer Research:
  • 2023-2024 Sunshine Coast Visitor Study – Currently in progress, this 12-month study runs from July 2023-June 2024.
  • 2018 Net Promoter Score Survey Results – Sunshine Coast
  • 2018 Net Promoter Score Survey Results – Vancouver Island & Sunshine Coast comparison
  • 2018 Tourism Sentiment Index – Sunshine Coast
• Provincial and National Tourism Research:
  • Destination BC Market Research – Includes tourism industry performance, research by region, market, and activity, and resident sentiment research.
  • BC Stats – Tourism industry statistics.
  • Destination Canada – Industry trends and outlooks.
  • Canadian Tourism Human Resource Council – Labour market information.
  • Statistics Canada – A variety of travel and tourism statistics.
• Other Statistics:
  • BC Ferries Passenger Statistics
  • BC Visitor Centre Statistics

Resources

The following is a collection of resources curated from provincial and national programs.  Looking to work with Sunshine Coast Tourism directly?  Head to our "Work With Us" page.

• Marketing Resources - learning tools and programs 
  • Destination BC’s Learning Centre
  • Virtual Experiences Best Practice Guide from Destination BC
  • Social Media Toolkit from British Columbia’s Regional Tourism Secretariat
  • Destination Canada's Marketing Resources
• Tourism Industry Information
  • Tourism Industry Association of British Columbia (TIABC) – Advocates for the interests of BC’s tourism economy.
  • Tourism Industry Association of Canada – Represents tourism interests at a national level.
  • Go2HR – HR for BC’s tourism industry – Includes employee training programs, labour market information, job boards, and more.
  • Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture, & Sport
  • Indigenous Tourism BC – Corporate Site
  • Destination BC – Corporate Site
  • Destination Canada – Corporate Site