Early Lessons From Vancouver Island Tourism's Shift From Marketer to Social Enterprise

Tourism Vancouver Island announced in April it was dropping its traditional tourism marketing business model of more than 60 years to operate as a non-profit social enterprise — a business designed to invest all its revenue back into social goals. There's no doubt this represented a paradigm shift in the debate about the expanded role of tourism boards these last two years, from destination management to destination stewardship and regeneration.

Rebranded as "4VI" to reflect its four key pillars — community, businesses, culture, and environment  — this "social enterprise tourism board" appears to be the first such entity of its kind to date.

But of particular significance behind Tourism Vancouver Island’s decision is this: it pulls back on the “why” of a destination management organization and defines what “tourism as a force for good” actually means.

“They’re making an incredibly clear statement of, this is why we are here — we’re not here just to serve tourists, we’re not here just to serve the hoteliers; we are here to improve the quality of life and the tool that we have is tourism development,” said Jonathon Day, associate professor at Purdue University’s White Lodging-J.W. Marriott Jr. School of Hospitality and Tourism Management.

“What you’re seeing is real clarity about the purpose of tourism development in a community: to make it sustainable and benefit the local people," said Day.

Anthony Everett, chief executive officer at 4VI, said that Vancouver Island’s board of directors, made up of tourism businesses, as well as its partner Destination British Columbia, quickly signed on to the idea.

The group at 4VI now describe themselves as “respected tourism advisors” who “are known for investing profits into powering the stewardship of our destination and our home.”

“We basically stopped the idea that we are a marketing organization,” said Everett, president and CEO of Tourism Vancouver Island turned 4VI. “We want to focus on the social impacts that tourism has been having on Vancouver Island. It’s fun to be able to be like an entrepreneur and all the things we’re doing have to fit with social responsibility.”

Everett added that every contract it currently holds, in addition to its government contract, focuses on social responsibility and that any work offered in the future that doesn’t align with its soc