December 2014 BCBusiness 25 bcbusiness.ca
coming through. There are not a
lot of people in China who ski and
snowboard, but there are resorts
being built out there. And when they
do travel, the Chinese want to go to
the best. Whistler has a great name
in China and so we have decided to
try and tap into that market.
How exactly are you going about
doing that?
On the broad side, we are working
with the Canadian Tourism Commis-
sion, Destination B.C. and Tourism
Whistler—going in and being sure
we are meeting the right people. But
separately, as a ski resort, we made
our first direct foray into China last
year, visiting and spending time
at six ski resorts there with our ski
school. So our instructors worked
with their clients, presenting Whis-
tler Blackcomb and what we offer.
We also work with a number of tour
operators in Richmond.
What about other new markets?
We are quite focused on expat com-
munities in Hong Kong, Singapore
and Malaysia, which tend to be
higher-end individuals and families.
There's a big opportunity in South
America, but what's lacking is the air
service into Canada. We are watching
developments at
YVR closely. Once
direct access opens up, we will be
down in Brazil and Chile in a big way.
What's the biggest challenge to fur-
ther growth at Whistler Blackcomb?
The air regulation in this country—
the taxes and fees the government
sucks out of our airports—just kills
us in a competitive environment. If
I could change one thing that would
not just be a boon for our business,
but for all tourism-based businesses
in this country, that would be it.
Five million Canadians cross the
border every year to travel out of the
U.S. That isn't rocket science. They
need to change that.
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5,303 acres
aspen snowmass
aspen, colo.
5,200 acres
Vail
Vail, colo.
