[BCMA] Fwd: SURVEY says: Barkerville a considerable benefit to the economy of British Columbia

Fri Sep 3 15:54:57 PDT 2010

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	SURVEY says: Barkerville a considerable benefit to the economy 
of British Columbia
Date: 	Fri, 3 Sep 2010 15:17:14 -0700
From: 	James Douglas <JDouglas at barkerville.ca>
To: 	Barkerville Historic Town <barkerville at barkerville.ca>

*For Immediate 
Release                                                                     
                    September 3, 2010*

* *

*SURVEY says: Barkerville a considerable benefit to the economy of 
British Columbia*

* *

*Barkerville, BC --* A recently published incremental tourism economic 
impact study has found that Barkerville Historic Town generated $16.9 
million worth of activity for British Columbia's economy in 2009, with 
$11.8 million directly affecting the province's North Cariboo region.

The study was part of an Overall Visitor Study & Tourism Economic Impact 
analysis conducted in 2009 by Tourism British Columbia's Research, 
Planning & Evaluation team and the Barkerville Heritage Trust.  The 
tourism economic impact analysis was prepared by Paradigm Consulting 
Group, on contract with the Research, Planning, and Evaluation unit of 
TBC. 

Paradigm's analysis took into consideration Barkerville's annual 
operational and capital expenditures, as well as expenditures by 
independent travelers visiting Barkerville during the summer of 2009.  
It included monies spent by independent travelers in the local 
communities of Quesnel, Wells-Barkerville, Hixon, Nazko, and surrounding 
areas, as well as the operational expenditures of the 18 independent 
businesses that operate within Barkerville Historic Town. 

Information regarding independent, leisure visitor expenditures in 
Barkerville Historic Town, North Cariboo and the province was collected 
between June and September 2009 through the use of an intercept survey.  
The results were scaled to represent the importance of Barkerville in 
motivating a visitor's trip as well as weighted to reflect Barkerville's 
unique, independent leisure visitor numbers by month for the operating 
season in an effort to capture the incremental tourism impact that 
Barkerville Historic Town provides to the region.

"We've always known Barkerville provides significant economic stimulus 
for the central interior, and to British Columbia as a whole," said Judy 
Campbell, Barkerville's Chief Executive Officer. 

"This study shows us how significant that contribution really is."

According to study's findings, spending in the North Cariboo region 
associated with Barkerville Historic Town contributed $8.9 million to 
the gross domestic product of British Columbia in 2009.  In addition, 
156 equivalent full-year jobs were created for BC residents, with wages 
and salaries totaling $6.6 million.  Barkerville-related expenditures in 
2009 also generated $1.8 million in federal, provincial, and municipal 
tax revenue throughout the province.

"In BC we are privileged to have such a wonderful historical and 
cultural treasure as Barkerville," said BC Minister of Tourism, Culture, 
and the Arts Kevin Krueger. "This report shows how important this 
historic cultural tourism attraction is to the North Cariboo region and 
highlights Barkerville's significant contribution to the vitality, 
sustainability and diversity of BC's tourism sector as a whole."

Partial funding for the incremental tourism economic impact study was 
provided by the Federal, Provincial, Territorial Culture/Heritage and 
Tourism Initiative (FPTTI).  Additional support was provided by the 
Barkerville Heritage Trust, the Quesnel Visitor's Centre, and the 
Heritage Branch of BC's Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and the Arts.

A copy of Barkerville Historic Town: Tourism Economic Impact Assessment 
June 2010 can be found here:

http://www.tca.gov.bc.ca/heritage/docs/pdf/Barkerville_Economic_Impact_Report_Final.pdf

-30-

* *

* *

*About the Federal, Provincial, Territorial Culture/Heritage and Tourism 
Initiative*

Federal-Provincial-Territorial Ministers launched the 
Federal-Provincial-Territorial Culture/Heritage and Tourism Initiative 
(FPTTI) to support the integrity and improve the sustainability of the 
arts, culture and heritage in Canada. The FPTTI aims to improve 
understanding and increase links between culture/heritage and tourism 
for mutually beneficial results.

Launched in 2003 as a pilot project, the FPTTI has since been renewed 
until September 2008. During the initial phase, working groups explored 
a number of topics including Aboriginal Cultures and Tourism, Building 
Market-Readiness Capacity, and Economic Benefits Distribution Research. 
The results are presented in the FPTTI Phase 1 reports.

This partnership of all provincial and territorial ministries 
responsible for the arts, culture and heritage and the federal 
Department of Canadian Heritage is co-chaired by Manitoba and New 
Brunswick. The initiative supports partnering between arts, culture, 
heritage and other tourism stakeholders to enhance collaboration.

During Phase 2, FPTTI Jurisdictional Champions of culture/heritage and 
tourism at the federal provincial and territorial levels, with the 
support of the Department of Canadian Heritage, are endeavoring to work 
in the following areas both within their jurisdictions and as a collective:

*       /Research and Analysis/

*       /Government Collaborations/

*       /Stakeholder Communications/

* *

* *

*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.

Barkerville is situated 80 km east of Quesnel, British Columbia in the 
foothills of the Cariboo Mountains, close to Troll Mountain Ski Resort 
and Bowron Lake Provincial Park.  The nearby community of Wells (8 km 
from Barkerville) is the service and housing centre for the area 
(www.wellsbc.com <http://www.wellsbc.com/>) and is itself a dynamic 
cultural community, home of Island Mountain Arts, the acclaimed Toni 
Only Artists' Project, the International Celtic Harp School 
(www.imarts.com <http://www.imarts.com/>), the dynamic indie music 
festival ArtsWells (www.artswells.com <http://www.artswells.com/>), and 
the Sunset Theatre (www.sunset-theatre.com 
<http://www.sunset-theatre.com/>). Wells is also situated close to a 
wide variety of winter and summer outdoor activities

* *

* *

*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 
<https://mail.barkerville.ca/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.barkerville.ca/>

_barkerville.wordpress.com_

Skype: barkerville.historic.town

Twitter: #barkervillebc

Watch: youtube.com/barkervilletv 
<https://mail.barkerville.ca/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://youtube.com/barkervilletv>

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