Vision
In the year 2033, Vancouver is the best place to live and visit in the Pacific Northwest.
Strategic Goals
The five strategic goals established through the Destination Master Planning process will provide a framework to guide tourism-related decision-making and efforts to enhance Vancouver’s visitor economy. These goals offer guidance on how to bring the project vision to life and establish Vancouver as a competitive visitor destination.
Travelers today are increasingly seeking a unique, authentic travel experience. Memorable travel experiences create repeat visitors who share their recommendations with friends and family, therefore strengthening destination perception and building brand awareness. To support positive visitor experiences, successful destinations provide a wide range of activities, attractions, and experiences to meet the needs of a variety of travelers with varying interests and backgrounds. A robust experiential infrastructure also includes services and experiences to support and entertain multiple visitor markets. Offering a variety of opportunities to experience Vancouver will benefit the long-term health and development of the region, including quality of life for residents, Vancouver’s destination brand, jobs, talent attraction and retention, economic development, and the visitor economy.
Engaging and supporting our residents, community leaders and elected officials is an important part of tourism planning. To achieve true sustainability, we must balance all aspects of the triple bottom line people, place, and economy. Of equal importance to a destination’s economic growth and stewardship of place, its people must also be prioritized, acknowledged and consulted along the way to success. Community members want to have a say in the future of their home when it comes to tourism.
As a destination, we must connect our neighbors and visitors with access to reliable transportation options that support healthy, independent living and easeful navigation around Vancouver. How locals and visitors arrive and move around Vancouver needs to evolve to meet the needs of all users. A vibrant visitor economy must contain connections that are equally vibrant, creating a sense of continuity of the visitor experience throughout the entire region.
Vancouver’s proximity to the natural world as well as its breadth and quantity of outdoor experiences makes it an outstanding destination for outdoor recreation tourism. Outdoor recreation draws visitors and residents to the Vancouver area every year. Opportunities to hike, walk, bike, roll, fish, climb, camp and paddle in the region’s beautiful landscapes makes Vancouver an attractive home base for outdoor enthusiasts and a top destination for visitors from all over the world.
Destination brand is an important factor for travelers choosing where they’d like to invest their time and money to create new memories. Visitors only know what they are told or shown about a destination, so a high-quality brand and in-market experience plays a critical role in visitor satisfaction. Increasingly, the reputation, quality of place and the perceived brand of a city is determining where businesses choose to invest, in turn driving an increase in talent, capital, and tourism to destinations of choice.Next Steps
From the outset of the destination master planning process, the community was engaged and excited to support the implementation of the strategic recommendations. Visit Vancouver WA doesn’t own the assets and experiences related to the visitor economy, and therefore, they cannot single-handedly move this Destination Master Plan forward. Their roles in the implementation of the Plan will take several forms including:
