NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release 2010TCA0011-000744 June 21, 2010

Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts

 

NEW MEMBER APPOINTED TO MINISTER’S COUNCIL ON TOURISM

 

VICTORIA – Kevin Krueger, Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts today announced the appointment of Gordon Fitzpatrick to the Minister’s Council on Tourism. Fitzpatrick is the president of B.C.-based CedarCreek Estate Winery.

 

“Gordon is a welcome addition to the Minister’s Council on Tourism,” said Krueger. “His family’s deep agricultural roots and leadership in the wine industry in the Okanagan Valley, with his knowledge of tourism in British Columbia, will further strengthen the council’s recommendations to government.”

 

“I look forward to working with the other council members from industry to provide advice to the minister on ways to build a more successful tourism sector,” said Fitzpatrick. “We share the common goal of wanting to ensure that B.C. is able to maximize its tourism potential following the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.”

 

Established in 2009, the Minister’s Council on Tourism is comprised of a broad cross-section of members from the tourism industry and informs the government on a range of tourism-related matters. The council’s advice and recommendations are designed to help guide the development of marketing initiatives and strategies to double tourism revenues in British Columbia by 2015.

 

“We are pleased to have Gordon join us on the council. His perspective on industrial tourism and views of the Okanagan region are a worthy addition,” said Stuart McLaughlin, chair of the Minister’s Council on Tourism and president of Grouse Mountain Resorts. “So far, the minister has both challenged us and listened to our input and there has been a steady stream of successes. The council is functioning very well.”

 

One of B.C.’s largest and most sustainable industries, tourism generated an estimated $12.9 billion in 2009, providing over 131,000 direct jobs across the province. The Province of British Columbia has supported the development of a strong infrastructure for the tourism industry since 2001.

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Media Contact:

Gordon Keast Public Affairs Bureau Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts 250 356-8177

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