[BCMA] BARKERVILLE Delegates Welcomed Home by Approved Destination Status

Thu Dec 10 10:48:57 PST 2009

*_For Immediate Release_*

*__*

BARKERVILLE Delegates Welcomed Home by Approved Destination Status

*BARKERVILLE**, BC,* December 9, 2009 -- The Canadian Tourism 
Commission's recent announcement that Canada has been granted Approved 
Destination Status by the People's Republic of China was a remarkable 
"welcome home" gift for a team of Barkerville delegates returning from 
Guangdong Province.

Judy Campbell, Barkerville's Chief Executive Officer, and William G. 
Quackenbush, Barkerville's curator, joined Canadian Senator Lillian 
(Quan) Dyck and Overseas Exchange Association of Guangdong Province 
director Lily Chow in Guangdong this past November, as part of an eleven 
day research expedition aimed at better understanding Barkerville's 
extraordinary collection of Chinese archival records, photographs, and 
artifacts - many of which were brought to British Columbia by early 
immigrants from Guangdong Province.

"The people of Guangdong Province still feel incredibly connected to 
those ancestors who left China in the late-19th and early-20th 
centuries," said Campbell upon her return to Barkerville.

"The money these 'Overseas Chinese' sent back to their families resulted 
in significant economic and social development at home, contributing to 
the creation of schools, hospitals, bridges, and other important 
community infrastructure."

According to Barkerville's curator, Bill Quackenbush, many 21st century 
Chinese families possess a sincere desire to know more about the life 
and times of those ancestors who made the long and often arduous journey 
to the Cariboo goldfields more than a hundred years ago - what types of 
jobs they had, how they lived, what their lives were like. 

"The more we learn about the historical migration of people from 
Guangdong Province to British Columbia, the more we realize the extent 
and the significance of the Chinese collections at Barkerville," said 
Quackenbush.  "We have many artifacts that are not commonly found in 
China today -- buildings, images, and archival material - telling 
stories that have been lost on the other side of the Pacific."

This growing interest from modern Chinese travelers looking to reconnect 
with their 'Overseas Chinese' roots makes Barkerville an invaluable 
asset to British Columbia's further development as Canada's Pacific 
Gateway. 

"Guangdong Province -- B.C.'s 'sister' province - is very interested in 
Barkerville," said Judy Campbell.  "And officials there are very pleased 
with the job we have done in preserving and interpreting the history of 
Canada's Chinese immigrants." 

"As such, Barkerville is poised to play an important role in any future 
trade, investment, and tourism opportunities that arise from Canada's 
new agreement with China on Approved Destination Status."

Prior to this crucial ADS development, marketing organizations like the 
Canadian Tourism Commission were unable to promote directly to Chinese 
consumers.  Now that Approved Destination Status has been awarded, the 
CTC is seeking to implement a robust action plan to leverage the growing 
interest of Chinese travelers to Canada, many of whom are eager to know 
more about Barkerville's Guangdong connection.

"This agreement represents great potential for the visitor economy and 
future growth of the industry," said Michele McKenzie, CTC's President 
and Chief Executive Officer, of the ADS announcement.  "The Canadian 
Tourism Commission will take full advantage of this agreement and begin 
marketing business and leisure travel opportunities to the Chinese people."

"ADS opens a very big door," she concluded.  "We look forward to 
mobilizing quickly to take advantage of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic 
Games and promoting Canada's image throughout this massive market."

Through the support of Overseas Exchange Association of Guangdong 
Province director Lily Chow, some of the CTC's goals are already being met.

Ms. Chow, a retired school teacher from Prince George who now lives in 
Victoria, has previously assisted the City of Prince George with a 
number of its own trade missions to China.  A former director-at-large 
with the Barkerville Heritage Trust, Lily was instrumental in bringing a 
delegation from the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office to Barkerville in 
2006.  She was also a driving force behind Barkerville's recent 
reciprocal visit to Guangzhou, Kaiping, Jaingmen and Taishan. 

"We can't thank Lily enough for convincing us to take this trip," said 
Judy Campbell. "In order for Barkerville to further develop its 
relationship with China, we needed to return the visit we received from 
Chinese officials in 2006... but in these times of fiscal restraint, it 
seemed like a challenging ambition to realize."

"Because of Lily, and because of the incredible generosity of the 
Overseas Chinese Affairs Office, the trip cost us very little - less, in 
fact, than some of our in-province trips to attend conferences and 
meetings."    

According to Tourism BC's latest profile of the Chinese travel market, 
visits to Canada by Chinese citizens in 2008 were up 8.6 percent from 
the year before.  In 2007, 159,927 Chinese travelers visited Canada, of 
whom 99,405 entered directly through British Columbia, accounting for 
62.2% of Canada's Chinese market.  Chinese travelers had the highest 
average length of stay in Canada, at 28 nights, and spent an average of 
$1,648.51 each -- more than visitors from any other country.

A recent survey by the Conference Board of Canada suggests ADS will 
boost the yearly rate of travel to Canada from China by up to 50 percent 
by 2015.

"Now that the City of Prince George is looking at new markets for its 
International Airport, Barkerville's Chinese history can be an important 
resource," said Campbell.  "And as Northern British Columbia looks to 
China for new trade and investment opportunities, our connection to 
Guangdong Province will be a significant asset."

As a result of Barkerville's historic trek to China, curator Bill 
Quackenbush has been asked to write an article for the academic Journal 
of Overseas Chinese Research.  Barkerville has also been invited to 
mount a traveling exhibit concerning the Chinese experience in the 
Cariboo for Barkerville's 150th anniversary in 2012.  Two venues for 
this exhibit have already been secured - the Overseas Chinese Research 
Centre at Wuyi University, and the Guangdong Museum of Overseas Chinese 
in Guangzhou - and Campbell expects the exhibit will visit several other 
locations, including Hong Kong, Taishan and Kaiping.  In addition, the 
Guangdong Museum has expressed interest in a permanent installation 
about Barkerville.  Barkerville has, in return, offered to host student 
researchers from China wishing to study Barkerville's history. 

"Barkerville's Chee Kung Tong building, which was designated a National 
Historic Site of Canada this past summer, has historical and political 
significance in China," said Bill Quackenbush.  "We may, therefore, 
be eligible for UNESCO World Heritage Site status."

A proposal is also being developed for a research project that would 
identify the home villages of some of Barkerville's Chinese citizens, 
and take copies of historical photographs to those villages for 
identification purposes, and to potentially locate any extant archival 
material.

"These activities will raise Barkerville's profile in China, and among 
the many Chinese from overseas who visit these museums," said Campbell.  
"We believe that in the long term this will result in increased 
visitation to Barkerville."

"Now that Canada has received Approved Destination Status, we expect 
many new tours to British Columbia will include Barkerville on their 
itinerary," she added.  "More research will reveal more about the 
significance of the Barkerville collections, and the possibility 
of World Heritage status for all or part of Barkerville's Chinatown may 
soon become a reality."

"This will significantly increase Barkerville's access to funding, and 
increase its desirability as an international tourism destination," 
concluded Campbell.  "All in all, the trip was a worthwhile investment."

And thanks to the Canadian Tourism Commission's new ADS announcement, 
the investment already seems to be showing a healthy return.

For a detailed, first-hand account of Barkerville's historic trek to 
China, please visit the historic site's new blog at: 
www.barkerville.wordpress.com <http://www.barkerville.wordpress.com/>.

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About Barkerville Historic Town

Barkerville Historic Town is the largest historic site in Western North 
America (www.barkerville.ca <http://www.barkerville.ca/>).  Barkerville 
is provincially, nationally and internationally recognized for its 
historic significance associated with its place in western Canada's gold 
rush era and the role the gold rush played in BC joining Canada.  
Barkerville is widely known as a "must see" for travel itineraries in 
western Canada.  The historic town is also a significant contributor to 
the Cariboo regional economy and is widely regarded as a unique 
component of the regional identity.

The Barkerville Heritage Trust, as Barkerville's operating and managing 
partner, works in conjunction with the Province of British Columbia, the 
owner and statutory guardian of Barkerville's heritage resources,  to 
ensure that Barkerville is efficiently managed, entertaining and 
educational to visitors, and financially stable as the premier heritage 
resource and tourism attraction for the Cariboo.  The ultimate aim is to 
maintain and enhance Barkerville's position as a nationally significant 
heritage resource and tourism attraction for British Columbia and Canada.

* *

* *

*Media Inquiries*

**

*James Douglas*

Marketing and Communications

Barkerville Historic Town

Box 19, Barkerville, BC V0K 1B0

250-994-3302 ext. 41

888-994-3332 toll free

250-994-3435 fax

james.douglas at barkerville.ca <mailto:james.douglas at barkerville.ca>

www.barkerville.ca <http://www.barkerville.ca> 

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