New tourism program lands in the Cowichan Valley to spark innovation

B.C.’s tourism industry is growing, and the Tourism Innovation Lab’s Spark program is helping entrepreneurs across the province plug into the ecosystem.  

Spark supports new tourism ideas in different locations by offering mentorship, $3,000 in funding, tons of resources and access to a network of leaders and entrepreneurs. Applications are currently open in the Cowichan region, and entrepreneurs and businesses with innovative proposals are encouraged to apply by November 12.  

The Tourism Innovation Lab—which is based in Windsor, Ontario but has additional headquarters in Squamish—first partnered with Destination BC in 2021 to bring Spark to B.C. Aimee Epp, senior project manager on Destination BC’s industry development team, has seen the program spread far and wide since it launched in the West Kootenays in 2021. 

“We’ve done 12 Spark programs across B.C. of varying sizes,” says Epp. “Last year we launched a provincial Rainforest to Rockies Spark program, and that was the biggest one. Generally Spark selects five shortlisted applicants and then three winners, but the most recent delivery we did in B.C. was such a large area that we actually shortlisted 20 applicants and dwindled them down to 12 lucky winners.” 

The list of Rainforest to Rockies winners included Annamarie Klippenstein of Klippers Organics farm, whose tourism idea was to create a “Similkameen cider festival.” It also included Lise Hines, owner of guided food tour business Chew On This Tasty Tours, whose idea was to partner with other organizations along that Rainforest to Rockies corridor to offer “B.C. a la carte adventures.” 

“It’s a series of tours that blends wellness, connection and culinary indulgence,” Epp says of Hines’ Spark idea. “So it’s got that culinary angle that’s Lise’s specialty, but the new thing she’s got is this additional focus on wellness, and it’s not restricted to the areas she’s been in before. And everything she does is about partnerships… she works with all these local operators, so even though she’s the one that comes into Spark, the benefit is to all those partners that she’s working with.” 

Spark has a sharp focus on addressing industry gaps in specific areas or regions. It’s open to supporting existing businesses that are looking to do something different to fill a gap, but not to supporting a business that wants to continue doing what they were already doing. The point of Spark is to catalyze new and innovative ideas—even if it’s from a person who doesn’t have a business yet. And when applications close, shortlisted candidates get matched with mentors who can help develop their idea and help B.C.’s tourism industry grow. Hines, for instance, got matched with Rachel Dodds, director of Toronto-based boutique consulting firm Sustaining Tourism, who has 25 years of experience working with hospitality businesses and tour operators, among others.

“The most valuable feedback that we’ve heard from everyone who’s been through the program is the mentorship,” says Epp, who is often on the judging panel that picks Spark winners. “This is not so much a ‘Okay, I’ve been in business for a few years, and I need a little help, how can I improve what I’m doing?’ This is, ‘I want to do something new. How can I do that?’” 

Since 2021, Spark’s 12 programs in B.C. have yielded 45 winners in the province. But it’s not just the winners who benefit from it, notes Epp. “Every idea that comes forward gets a little love… Every time the winners are selected, we reach out to all the applicants and provide them with a laundry list of resources and tools. We share tons of details about plugging into the tourism industry and we build those relationships even with the non-winners.”