By the beginning of this week, the West Vancouver Chamber of Commerce had sold 40 of 100 tickets to the inaugural Taste of Bowen event. Participants, who at this stage will come almost entirely from off-island, will hold a passport to be stamped at all participating businesses and in return receive a small sample demonstrating what the business is all about.
“This means 40 people, at least, who might not otherwise have even come to Bowen will be opened up to what Bowen businesses have to offer,” says Kevin Manning, the First Credit Union branch manager and West Vancouver Chamber of Commerce board member. “So many people think they have to pay a return ferry fare to come over here, and when they look at the price they change their mind. An event like this starts to change that.”
Manning says that so far, 18 Bowen businesses have joined the West Vancouver Chamber, which is half the membership of the Bowen Chamber before it dissolved.
“For me, the benefits are really clear,” says Manning. “The West Vancouver Chamber is established. It has its own office. It has paid staff. It has a website that is updated constantly, and a newsletter that goes out to thousands of people every single week. There are tour companies that call the West Vancouver Chamber every single week, and now they can point those tour groups in our direction.”
For the West Vancouver Chamber, having a connection to Bowen Island means that the lack of tourism opportunities within West Vancouver is suddenly filled.
“In the US, all chambers of commerce also act as tourism offices as well, so when they are looking for things in Vancouver, we pop up,” says West Vancouver Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Leagh Gabriel. “We’re happy to receive these calls and would like to take on that role as well, but until now we’ve had nowhere to send people. In West Vancouver, we have one chamber member that offers accommodation, a bed and breakfast. In all of West Vancouver there is only one motel; that’s in Horseshoe Bay.”
Gabriel says she sees potential to make Bowen a destination for people in West Vancouver who might have family coming to visit.
“Instead of putting your family up in a hotel in North Van, why not send them to Bowen, and turn the visit into a real experience?”
The West Vancouver Chamber runs a series of other “Taste of” events in various communities within its mandate. Gabriel says that she hopes that the Taste of Bowen grows bigger year after year. The Taste of Ambleside, for example, sold more than 300 tickets this past year.
