How, when and for what purpose people use trails in the Cowichan Valley region is the subject of a Vancouver Island University (VIU) researcher’s latest project.
Born on the East Coast, Bachelor of Tourism Management graduate Amy Badgley now calls Yellowknife, NWT, home. Amy is working for the federal government as an economic development officer. She chose to study at VIU because she wanted to be near the ocean, mountains and forest. She will also remember VIU for “the small classroom experience and professors being there trying to help you succeed.” Oh, and the bunnies of course.
Recreation and Tourism Management Professor Jenn Houtby-Ferguson is currently doing her doctoral work on emergency readiness and risk communications for the tourism and hospitality industries. She’s a delegate with the Canadian Red Cross and has supported responses to emergency scenarios ranging from wildfires to floods to COVID-19 across Canada. She has also gone to Mozambique to help with hurricane response. We asked her about the current wildfire situation in BC and what the average citizen should be doing right now to prepare.
As Canadians grapple with floods and wildfire smoke amidst the height of the summer travel season, VIU Recreation and Tourism Professor Dr. Aggie Weighill recently spoke on CBC Radio’s Cross Country Checkup about how extreme weather events are affecting tourism across Canada this year.
Ted Nathanson is currently the manager of Wildplay in Nanaimo, a position he has held since February 2019. His journey to this position began when Ted decided to enroll in VIU’s Tourism Management program.
Here’s what he says about his working at Wildplay and how VIU helped prepare him for it.
It took Emily McComb half a year to find her fit at Vancouver Island University. After spending a semester exploring a nursing career, she made the switch to tourism management – a decision she’s never regretted now that she’s thriving as a sports management professional. Emily graduated from VIU in 2021 with a Bachelor of Tourism Management degree, as well as a diploma in Sports and Recreation Management and a certificate in Event Management.
Liette Masse graduated from the Bachelor of Tourism Management program in 2019. She came back as a mature student because she wanted an undergraduate degree on her resumé to complement her extensive work experience. She now works as Manager of Donor and Alumni Relations at VIU.
The number of visitors to Vancouver Island has nearly recovered to pre-pandemic levels and in some cases, communities are seeing more tourists than even before. Unfortunately, the labour market hasn’t recovered to the same degree and some communities are feeling the strain.
How people view the role and importance of physical activity in the well-being and social togetherness of their community is a question that Vancouver Island University (VIU) Recreation and Tourism Professor Dr. Aggie Weighill is looking to answer as part of a new research project in the Yukon.