Tofino, British Columbia has 2,500 residents and just over 700,000 visitors a year. Samantha Hackett, the new Executive Director of Tourism Tofino and a 20-year resident, explains how a community of people who chose a hard, remote place to live thinks about balancing resident and visitor needs, and why a Nuu-chah-nulth teaching of respect, shared by the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation, now sits at the center of the destination's stewardship plan.

In this episode:

• Why most Tofino residents were visitors first, and how that changes the way a town relates to tourism
• "Harder to live here than to leave here": the real cost of staying in a rural, remote community
• The one thing Samantha hopes every visitor learns: whose territory they are standing in
• Trading a tourism master plan for a destination stewardship plan, and the teaching of respect at its heart
• Why Samantha cancelled a manager meeting to take her team clam gardening with Tla-o-qui-aht, and what it started
• How visitors connect with history in a town without a big museum: Naa'Waya'Sum Gardens, canoe tours, and signage in the Nuu-chah-nulth language
• Raising kids in a town two hours from the nearest arena, where nobody locks their doors

Plan a visit at tourismtofino.com.

Business Class is a podcast by Learn Tourism, featuring conversations with destination and tourism leaders from around the industry. Learn more at learntourism.org.

Business Class is brought to you by Learn Tourism, the nonprofit academy - harnessing the power of science, business psychology and adult education to advance the tourism industry and build sustainable economies. Learn how to engage your community, win over stakeholders and get more visitors at learntourism.org.

Support the show