PROFILING INNOVATORS IN RURAL BC
by Dr. Nicole L. Vaugeois

There is no shortage of innovation in the tourism industry. In an environment where unique products are needed to set businesses apart, operators are always coming up with innovative ideas. Innovation is even more important for businesses in rural areas where lower volume of visitor traffic and less developed products pose significant barriers for survival. 

Innovation has a way of fostering further innovation. In order for this to happen, the strategies being used in the industry need to be captured, profiled, and shared. The Tourism Research Innovation Project (TRIP) is a multi-partner initiative taking place in BC to do just that. As the TRIP team travels throughout rural BC, they have produced a series of innovative snapshots that profile operators who are thinking outside the box, with success. Here is a sample of some of the innovators in the accommodation sector.

Artist House Bed and Breakfast - Sicamous
The Artist’s House Heritage Bed and Breakfast, situated on the CP rail hillside overlooking Shuswap Lake in Sicamous, was purchased by Victoria Simpson as a residence in 1989. As she stood on the deck overlooking the lake, she declared, “I’m going to have an artists’ retreat here one day.” She opened her bed and breakfast in 2000.

Victoria wanted to offer something “eco-friendly and soft on the earth”. Her mother had an art gallery in the house from 1989 to 1995, and as Victoria pursued her own artistry and contemplated a lifestyle in the field, she decided to open her home to visitors. 

Through word-of-mouth, artists have contacted Victoria to host concerts during the off-season. Performances by Maria Dunn, Gerry Barnum, Terry Morrison and John Gorham, Eoin Duignan and Rick Bockner, and others have entertained both guests and the community through the winter months. In 2004, Victoria’s heritage house became a theatre with the play “Dead on Time” featuring stories about the house and the train that used to stop below the property, as told by Gordon Mackie, who lived in the house as a boy.

Victoria has formed an excellent relationship with the community and the Artist’s House Heritage B&B was the first official accommodation on the Hut to Hut Trail and Waterway Initiative in June 2007, featuring the artists “Musicycle”. These musicians were cycling from Powell River, BC to Liverpool, Nova Scotia (6,500 km) and guests were encouraged to cycle to and from the concert.

Victoria is a self-professed “seat of her pants” kind of girl. “Challenges come and you make a decision,” she explains. Her decision to support the arts and showcase her home utilizing the heritage and history has created financial benefits, a bond with the community, and a vehicle for her philosophy and art. 

Dunroven Farm, B and B, Sea Cottage, Oxen Farm and Forge
In many rural areas tourism is underdeveloped and often misunderstood. The tourism season is also very short for most operators giving them a limited window of opportunity to make ends meet. Businesses that diversify with multiple revenue streams withstand a better chance of success. 
Located in the northern region of Vancouver Island, directly across from the town of Port McNeill, is the laid-back and charming Malcolm Island. Situated approximately 18 kilometres from the sleepy village of Sointula lies a quiet, ten-acre parcel of waterfront and forested acreage called the Dunroven B and B, Sea Cottage, Oxen Farm and Forge. Owners Dan and Lauren Klingbiel traveled to Malcolm Island over 12 years ago, instantly fell in love with the location, and moved there soon afterwards. 

At Dunroven guests are treated to a truly unique experience that owners Dan and Lauren refer to as “history on the ground.” Visitors to their B and B and Sea Cottage are part of a working farm, which not only offer accommodation, but also an opportunity to take part in activities on the farm. “We offer guests a new kind of experience, one that they’re looking for,” describes Dan. Guests have the opportunity to take lessons on an on-site 1927 coal fired forge or take part in hands-on training of working brown Swiss oxen. Dan creates ironworks to sell in the community and the chickens produce eggs for sale and use in the delicious breakfasts served at Dunroven. Guests are invited to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life. There’s no access to television or telephone on the premises, but there is a hot tub on a deck overlooking the ocean. Dunroven is a very unique business where, according to Dan, “People come to entertain themselves, not to be entertained… Guests can come [to] relax and have an opportunity to sit back and watch the trees grow.”

With very little in the way of marketing, the Klingbiels are heavily booked by repeat guests and referrals. Visitors leave with an education about various activities that are not accessible in an urban environment. Occupancy rates continue to increase yearly since the idea has come to fruition, and the couple is confident that the product that they deliver sells itself. The Klingbiels are not only providing a one of a kind experience that guests thoroughly enjoy, but also finding a way to expand their tourism product in a way that increases the amount of revenue generated.

Echo Valley Ranch and Spa
The Echo Valley Ranch and Spa is a luxury activity-based destination resort located in the South Cariboo region. The resort is nestled in between the Marble Range and Edge Hills Provincial Parks, and prides itself for being located at the epicentre of four distinct ecosystems. Echo Valley has an operating season that begins in mid-March and continues through to the end of October. The ranch has space for 40 guests at a time, and employs 26 people. 

Acquiring adequate human resources and retaining employees continue to be key issues facing tourism operators throughout the province. Many resort owners in the industry cite common issues in finding staff at the start of a season, and keeping staff throughout an entire season. Echo Valley has addressed its human resource issues with a number of innovative methods. They have adopted a progressive approach to their organizational hierarchy by essentially not having one. Instead, they base their organizational structure around the philosophy that employees “work with one another.” As resort owner Norm Dove puts it, “We don’t manage people, we work with them.”
Echo Valley hires employees based predominantly on attitude and their level of expertise in a particular skill set. When hired, employees are not given job duties, but instead job responsibilities and they’re expected to help out where and when it’s needed. Employees are required to ensure that their area of responsibility is taken care of, and that guest satisfaction remains high at all times. 

Employees at Echo Valley receive many workplace benefits in addition to competitive wages. The 10% service charge and all gratuities are compiled into a collective pot and then distributed according to the amount of hours worked by each employee, regardless of the nature of their work. Full-time employees live on-site 7 days a week, 24 hours a day during the operating season, but are given 4 months of paid vacation during the winter. All employees are encouraged to utilize the resort facilities and resources throughout the season, so long as they do not impede with the guest experience. Employees consider themselves family more so than peer workers, and they hail from all over the world including Canada, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, England, and Denmark.

The ranch has been able to realize an enviable set of circumstances in regards to its human resources; it reports having a consistent annual staff turnover of zero, and has never had to advertise for employees. Top level employees with world-class qualifications actively seek out Echo Valley Ranch & Spa as an employer because they want to be a part of the healthy community and workplace on the ranch. Full-time employees stay an average of 10 years. 

The Elysia Resort
Located on the peaceful shores of Quesnel Lake, east of Williams Lake, the Elysia Resort has been operating for 37 years. The last nine years have been under the ownership of Susan Barton. The operating season is quite short, running from May 15 until October 15. The resort attracts its guests with an abundance of wildlife viewing opportunities, and the chance to catch a wild trophy Rainbow trout that could weigh over 20 pounds on a lucky day. 

The right picture for promotional material can be really tough to get. The right weather, the right light, the right scene all have to come together to make the picture really tell a thousand words. When you are operating a resort, you usually don’t have the time to dedicate to photography. However, without the eye candy of a good photo your brochures may go unnoticed. A brochure is supposed to entice people to go online or phone the resort for more information. 

Creating promotional material in a cost-effective way, without sacrificing quality, was a concern for the Elysia Resort. Using a professional photographer can provide you with quality pictures that will get you noticed, but the upfront cost can be a large expense for a small operator. Susan Barton started looking for alternate ways to get quality pictures to use in her promotional material.

The Elysia Resort began asking their guests to submit their vacation photos and if the photos were good the guest was rewarded with “$$ E R Bucks $$” that could be spent at the resort on the guest’s next visit. This reward program has been an ongoing development at the resort and now Susan will trade her visitors’ pictures for hats, dinner, wine, and sometimes jackets. “You can’t have too many pictures,” says Susan. She also explains that her visitors really like to see themselves on her brochures, website, or photos displayed in the resort gift shop. Susan finds that after sending each of her visitors a “hope you made it home safe” email, they usually reply quickly with photos of their stay. 

Overall, the guests have loved this idea as it creates a sense of community within the resort where visitors can open a photo album and show other visitors a picture from their previous stay. Susan has found that by having her guests’ photos on her website, her guests feel a real connection to the resort and want to return. “It’s like coming home,” is what Susan has been told by some of her guests. Susan knows that the connection she is making with her customers is creating repeat business. Also, as a result of the wonderful pictures that her guests have taken, and adding them to a couple of professional pictures, she has won the “Best Small Ad” award from Tourism BC in 2005. Susan says that it’s all a part of building goodwill, and creating a sense of community.

Willow Burl Cabins
In 1979, Al and Susie Forsyth, the owners of the Willow Burl Cabins in Valemount, purchased a piece of property just south of the town limits. Al and Susie’s dream was to build a series of cabins on their property and cater to snowmobilers, or “sledders” as they are called, and other adventure seekers. They understood that tourism is a unique kind of business and that some research would need to be done before starting. While forestry was slowly being phased out in the area, their extra time was spent talking with some of the 30,000 sledders that visit each year. They were curious to know what makes the sledding market unique in their needs and activities. They also approached the accommodation owners to find out their experiences, both good and bad, with the sledding market. After much research, the owners started to build five cabins on their property. 

Al and Susie found that the sledding market had distinct needs. They realized that sledders require a quick and easy way to dry their clothing. After a long day sledding, the riders’ boots, jackets, pants, and other clothing become soaked, and need to be dried before their next round of riding. At other accommodations, the favourite way to dry their clothes was to hang them just outside of the open oven door. This becomes very expensive for accommodation owners due to having the ovens turned on high and sometimes running all night. Another common practice for sledders was to turn the in-room heaters up to high to dry their clothing, but keep the windows open so the rest of the room stayed at a comfortable level. As well as the extra cost of heating, the extra time it took for cleaning the rooms was noticeably increased and there was increased damage caused by mold and bacteria. This unique need of the sledding community was causing accommodation owners to turn away sledders or risk losing money due to high heating bills.

During their planning stage of the business, the Forsyths decided to find a way to dry their guests’ clothing quickly, cheaply, and without much mess. They decided to build a “Drying Room” for their guests. This room was located next to the resort’s laundry room, which is an easy walking distance from each cabin. The room not only has enough space for every guest to hang their equipment, but also has racks to hang clothing, and boot warmers. In order to dry the clothes quickly and without creating the problem of mold and bacterial growth, they installed a dehumidifier and heaters and ensured proper air circulation.

By providing this service, sledding guests feel like they are truly welcome and understood. The owners have had many compliments for their extra efforts. In the few years that they have been operating, repeat visits have been increasing. Not only is this service benefiting the guests, but the owners have also noticed that cleaning the cabins requires relatively little time. As well, they have more control over their electrical costs, as guests are not running the 220 watt oven all night long with the windows open. The owners are happy with the sledding market and look forward to being able to expand and add more cabins in the future.

These are just a sample of the type of innovative strategies being used by businesses in rural BC. For full details on the innovators profiled here, or to learn about others, visit the TRIP website at www.trip-project.ca. If you know of an innovator that should be profiled, we’d love to hear from you.

Dr. Nicole L. Vaugeois is the Project Coordinator for TRIP. She can be contacted at vaugeois@mala.ca or by calling 250-753-3245 local 1-2772.