Wilderness Tourism Investment Consulting Services
Make purchasing or investing in wilderness tourism and resort properties in British Columbia and Canada a sound business investment.
Our expertise can assist you whether you want to manage or own your own wilderness tourism business – as a partner on the sidelines, or as an owner/operator.
Existing tourism operators (new purchasers and developers) can benefit from our knowledge and learn how to diversify their wilderness tourism business into a four-season operation as well as how to capitalize on their infrastructure.
Consulting Services
Benefit from our extensive background, by having us instruct you in every imaginable aspect in wilderness tourism management – in general – as well as our specific knowledge in guide outfitting, guest ranching, fishing resorts, ecotourism operations, and various adventure tourism operations.
Considering the complex and integrated nature of the wilderness tourism industry, you need to be knowledgeable of the cross-over industries and be aware of the potential conflicts that arise from logging, mining, ranching interests, and et cetera.
Wilderness tourism businesses have to manoeuvre successfully through internal industry conflicts, and situations, where there are non-compatible uses for the same resource base such as mountain bikers and horse-based ventures or heli-ski operations and snowmobiling.
Tourism operators need to be sensitive to their own disruption of wildlife and the destruction of habitat within the wilderness resource.
History –
Originally from the Cariboo-Chilcotin region, Kevan Bracewell is a third-generation guide outfitter.
Cattle rancher and wilderness tourism operator, Kevan has extensive experience in all aspects of logging and forest management, sawmill operations, staff training, and most government regulations related to resource-based industries.
Kevan developed his pioneer ranch family’s business into a four-season wilderness tourism operation in the 1980s, while building a 10,000 square foot all-log lodge from logs harvested and milled onsite.
He then went on to create a diversified four-season wilderness tourism business called Chilcotin Holidays in Gold Bridge, BC.
Knowledgeable in wilderness stewardship
By operating diverse wilderness tourism businesses and successfully overcoming a variety of resource management issues and operational challenges (presented from industry, government, and nature), Kevan’s most valuable experience and education has been as an operator all his life.
As a result, wilderness stewardship is second nature to Kevan.
He’s participated in minor and major resource management issues, arising over the last 30 years in the Cariboo Chilcotin region, including environmental surveys, studies, and data collection of forestry, wildlife, and fisheries.
He was also involved in the Lillooet Land Resource Mangement Plan (LRMP) over a six-year period, the creation of the South Chilcotin Mountain Park, risk assessment on the River Run Hydro Projects, mountain goat surveys, log-road risk assessments, and deactivation projects to name a few.
Participation on government wilderness projects and studies
He participated in provincial projects and studies, including the:
- Council of Tourism Association Study
- Wilderness Tourism Association Study
- Guide Outfitter Study
- Guest Ranch Study
- Fishing Resort Study
- Conduct of Ethics
- Angling Guide Policies
- Park Lodge Strategy
- BC Resort Strategy
- Tourism Mining Memorandum of Understanding
- Wildlife Viewing Development Community
- and more…
Active in provincial wilderness tourism associations
Kevan has also served as an industry association director for the BC Guide Outfitters Association, BC Guest Ranchers Association, and the BC Fishing Resorts Association.
He’s written curriculum for wilderness guide training and was one of the founding members of the Wilderness Tourism Association (WTA), Council of Tourism Associations (COTA), and the BC Guest Ranchers Association, and is the founder of the Wilderness Stewardship and Training Foundation.
Expertise
Kevan Bracewell’s expertise extends to all facets of wilderness tourism operations.
With Kevan’s expertise, you’ll acquire the skills to successfully oversee government regulations, operational procedures, marketing, staff, financial matters, and industry affiliations to be in a position to diversify a wilderness tourism business into a four-season operation and understand how to capitalize on its infrastructure.
Whether you want to invest in, manage an existing business, or create a new wilderness tourism business, you’ll run the gauntlet of chance unless you can develop a road map to avoid the pot holes.
Government Regulations –
Your goal should be to set yourself up to reduce the tenures, licenses, and permits required by provincial government agencies and thereby reduce your costs, business vulnerability, red tape, and liability.
Examples of applicable tenures, licenses, and permits within wilderness tourism operations cover a variety of ministries and agencies.
Within the BC Ministry of Forestry you’ll need to explore range, grazing, fence, and forest tenures.
Operating in any parks or lands that fall within the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, and BC Parks, you’ll need to secure tenures for area, camp, and user days.
If you operate a vehicle to transport guests there are motor carrier licenses, and ratings, classifications, and property assessments to understand under the BC Assessment Authority.
Depending upon your location, without tenures for domestic water use and irrigation your land may be barren come summer.
Within your regional district it’s in your best interest to become familiar with zoning and local official community plans.
Amidst all these tenures, licenses, and permits, you’ll require insurance for liability, property, and business disruption – and these are only the tip of the iceberg!
Operational –
Good business practice demands that you don’t leave any activity to chance.
You need a business plan in place otherwise you’ll spend more money than you make.
Procedures, standards, and training have to be structured and adhered to, throughout every aspect of your business operation.
Without established procedures for all departments – i.e. kitchen, housekeeping, office, sales, marketing, guiding, licensing, and training – you’re setting yourself up for failure.
Procedures state the roles and responsibilities of staff, owner, manager, lead guides, cooks, and every position within your operation.
Other operational considerations include guide, owner, and guest relations, contractor versus employee, and training of guest, staff, and interns.
In addition, you’ll need to be familiar with safety standards and the rules and regulations stipulated by the Workers’ Compensation Board and the BC Labour Relations Code.
Supply logistics are also critical for a wilderness lodge, wilderness camps, and moving trips.
Marketing –
You need more clients than you can accommodate, otherwise you may not be in business next year.
Getting market-ready is essential to succeed in a wilderness tourism business.
Marketing is more than determining the needs and wants of your target markets and doing it better than your competitors.
You need to define what market ready is, work with receptive operators – inbound and outbound – and be able to work with booking and travel agents, travel writers, and understand the use of press releases, advertising, and advertorials.
In the process of becoming market ready you need in-house marketing procedures set up for past guests and past guest inquiries, conduct telemarketing, harness the Internet to your advantage, and develop brochures to market your products.
If you’re not doing all of the above, all the time, your business is vulnerable.
Staff –
You shouldn’t encounter staff shortages or have difficulty retaining staff in wilderness tourism businesses.
There’s no excuse because it’s everyone’s fantasy to work at a wilderness lodge.
If you incorporate interest-based staff management practices, to better identify the interests, goals, and purpose of your staff, then you’ll have more staff than you need.
You need to market staff via the Internet, advertisements, government agencies, and job sites and this will be locally, domestically, and internationally.
Other considerations include permits for foreign workers.
Training and education of staff is essential to every operation.
See the Wilderness Jobs – Job Board located at: www.WildernessJobs.ca
Financial –
A seasonal wilderness tourism business is not the way to go, unless you can stop the expenses during the off-season.
Other financial considerations entail business seasonality, diversification, and developing account categories and structure for all expense categories.
Beware of the pitfalls and learn how to manage your seasonal cash flow.
Specific financial options available to tourism operators include banks, the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), and investors.
Since banks don’t view tourism ventures as an approved bank business – you’ll need to be creative in your financing angles. We can show you some norms.
Industry Affiliations –
Your participation is critical within BCs tourism industry and wilderness tourism specific associations to keep informed and get educated.
Your survival is dependent upon knowing what’s going on in the industry.
You cannot operate in isolation – you need to belong and contribute to local, regional, and even national associations specific to your wilderness products.
In BC, look to your regional tourism associations including: Vancouver Coast & Mountain, Vancouver Island, Cariboo Chilcotin Coast, Northern BC, Thompson Okanagan, and BC Rockies.
Some sector-specific tourism associations include guest ranches, fishing resort, guide outfitters, river rafting, and fishing.
There are many more.
Internationally, some specific organizations to belong to are Ducks Unlimited Canada, the Guest Ranches of North America (GRNA), The International Ecotourism Society (TIES), and many more.
Creating a Business From the Ground Up
Operating a wilderness tourism business is complex for it deals with several layers of licensing and regulations as well as marketing to a wide diversity of interests within tourism.
You’ll need to understand the various sectors and cross-over industries that impact the tourism industry – negatively and positively – and learn ways to ensure your interests are recognized in land-management issues.
It’s critical to stay on top of trends, markets, competition, complementary products, and how to diversify your product to succeed.
Defining your product, determining your personal goals, and the procedures required during pre-purchase are key in getting market ready.
Learn how to create diverse and distinct wilderness products, including horse pack trips, guest ranch adventures, grizzly viewing, big game viewing safaris, fishing, guide training, skiing, and snowmobiling.
To reach international markets, your product experiences needs to be developed as a destination.
Within all the development, financial considerations, and operational planning, you must learn how to work within the governmental regulatory system and the Canadian tourism industry structure.
Securing licenses and tenures provide the foundation for a successful wilderness tourism business.
Contact us to find out how.
Evaluating Your Current Business
If you own, or are an investor in, an existing wilderness tourism business that is struggling or not meeting your business goals, hire our services to review your operation from a financial, operational, and human resource perspective.
We can identify what alterations are required to get your business back on track – and into the black – as well as provide further suggestions as to how to diversify the operation and make it a four-season tourism business, capitalizing on opportunities available cross-over tourism products.
For more information, contact the Wilderness Tourism Investment Consulting Services Director, Kevan Bracewell as indicated below.
Wilderness Tourism Investment Consulting Services
Kevan Bracewell
Gun Creek Road
Gold Bridge, BC Canada
V0K 1P0
Tel: 1-250-238-2274
Fax: 1-250-238-2241
Email: info@adventure-bc-investment-property.com
Or use the online contact form.
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