Mountain Biking - A Chat with Martin

 
Mountain Biking has been identified as a strategic economic generator for the Provincial Tourism Industry with Campbell River possessing some of the best trail networks in the province. Yet we have not made a concerted effort to market this product....
 
The mountain biking season stretches for 8 months of the year with participants often making multiple trips to a region and participating in additional activities during their visit.  We can learn more and we can actively participate to increase the economic impact for our community.
 
This means dollars in your pocket, whether you are a bike shop, an accommodation product, a restaurant, a gift store, a grocery store or a gas station and so on....  With our quality and quantity of industry ready product and your participation, we can put Campbell River on the mountain biking map.

www.mountainbikingbc.ca
 
What are we doing:  GoCampbellRiver.com welcomes  Martin Littlejohn, the Managing Director of the Mountain Biking Tourism Association (MBTA) for an informal discussion.
 
The Goal:  To explore options and gain an understanding on where the industry has come and where it is going, from the experts.
 
What will Martin be saying:  He will highlight the state of the Mountain Biking Industr and the Province's goals as outlined in the short and long term strategic plan.  He will explain what participation in the initiatives means and the economic advantages to the community, with proactive methods to drive the industry forward.  An industry that currently generates millions of dollars of revenue for communities across the province.   
 
Where & When:  Spirit Square, Tuesday - August 7th, 2012 from  9:00 am to 10:30 am, bring your umbrella if it is raining.
 
Who Benefits:  The entire community, here are some stats: Accommodation and restaurant sector with 36% of the pie, the retail sector at 26% then the adventure tour sector at 14% and so on. The bigger the pie the bigger the numbers. 

Martin Littlejohn - Biography
 
Co-founder of the Western Canada Mountain Bike Tourism Association, with 20 years experience in recreation and tourism in planning, marketing, and product development. Martin's coordinated approach to tourism development results in improved experiences for visitors and creates new opportunities for local communities.
 
Martin is involved in a number of initiatives to develop mountain bike tourism in the province including North Shore World Mountain Bike Conferences (2004 and 2005), MTCA’s Mountain Bike Policy Working Committee (2006), The Sea to Sky Mountain Bike Economic Impact Study (2006), Bike Parks BC marketing program (2006-present), the BC Mountain Bike Tourism Handbook (2008), the BC Mountain Bike Tourism Symposium (2008), the BC Mountain Bike Tourism Strategy (2009) and the Mountain Biking BC marketing program (2010).
 
His diverse background in tourism includes extensive inbound tourism management experience developing, marketing, and operating packaged and custom made tour programs for  international markets including Japan, Australia, USA, and Europe. He has extensive practical experience marketing Canadian destinations and working with tourism suppliers and stakeholders in all areas of the tourism industry.
 
Martin has a Bachelor of Recreation Education from UBC and a Bachelor of Tourism Management from Capilano University.

PRESENTED BY:  www.GoCampbellRiver.com

For more information contact Catherine Temple at Catherine@goCampbellRiver.com