Media Releases

Wednesday, June 16, 2021

Whistler is Open and Ready to Welcome Back Visitors

BC’s Restart Plan outlines safe return of recreational travel

Click to Tweet: Whistler is open and is inviting visitors to adventure deeper than they ever have before this summer. #OnlyinWhistler

Whistler, B.C. – With British Columbia officially in Step 2 of its Restart Plan and recreational travel now permitted throughout the province, Whistler is excited to welcome visitors back to the mountains, just in time for summer.

“This has been an incredibly challenging year, and we couldn’t be happier to welcome our visitors back with open arms,” says Mayor Jack Crompton. “If you live in British Columbia, we invite you to come and enjoy everything Whistler has to offer. Our shops, restaurants, activities and accommodation providers are open and ready to welcome you.”

Health and safety remain top of mind for Whistler as the resort prepares for the return of summer visitors. Local businesses have detailed COVID-19 safety plans in place, which can be viewed on the Whistler Doors Open Directory, and visitors can learn more about Whistler’s tips for safe and conscious travel at whistler.com/adventure-differently.

Additionally, according to Vancouver Coastal Health, 91.5 per cent of Whistlerites aged 12 and up have obtained at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine as of June 10, equating to the highest community immunization rate in the province.

“We are a tourism economy and we are thrilled to be welcoming visitors again from across British Columbia,” adds Crompton. “We are grateful to finally be able to get back to doing what we do best and being able to do so safely. Our community has a very high level of vaccination and our businesses closely follow the Provincial Health Orders that remain in place to ensure everyone can enjoy Whistler fully and safely. I encourage everyone to experience what we have to offer this summer.”

It’s no secret that Whistler is an idyllic summer vacation destination, with its wide-open spaces, stunning beauty and endless variety of outdoor recreational opportunities. Long viewed by Lower Mainlanders as somewhere to jut off to for the day or the weekend, Whistler is encouraging its regional guests to consider Whistler as a longer-stay vacation destination instead this summer and to form a deeper, more meaningful connection with the community, its people and its culture.

“Whistler is a resort community, with a depth that goes well beyond our iconic attractions,” says Barrett Fisher, President and CEO at Tourism Whistler. “To really delve into the Whistler experience, guests should stay for more than a weekend, and when they do, they will make deeper connections and feel closer ties to the community. With international travel restrictions still in place, we encourage British Columbians to consider Whistler as their summer vacation destination: to take in our natural, wide-open spaces and to learn more about our unique mountain culture and Indigenous roots.”

A full list of summer activities, planning resources and inspirational itineraries for visitors can be found at whistler.com/summer.

“We are looking forward to welcoming guests from across British Columbia now, and travellers from other provinces once we get to Step 3 of the Restart Plan,” adds Fisher. “We encourage anyone who would like to visit Whistler this summer to review the details of the BC Restart Plan ahead of time, and to make their plans now for travel later in the summer as provincial travel restrictions continue to ease in the coming weeks.”

Additional COVID-19 information and resources for travellers is available at whistler.com/covid, and summer operational details in the resort can be found at whistler.ca/summer.

 -30-

Whistler is Canada’s premier year-round leisure and meeting destination located in the Coast Mountains 120 kilometres (75 miles) north of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Consistently rated the top ski resort in North America, Whistler was the Host Mountain Resort of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The resort offers an extensive range of accommodations with more than 10,000 bedrooms among more than 135 hotels, townhomes, condos, B&Bs and chalets. Whistler also boasts more than 200 restaurants and bars, 200 retail shops, spas and countless activity options from world-renowned skiing and snowboarding, mountain biking and golf, to hiking, rock climbing, and watersports. The Resort Municipality of Whistler is home to a diverse community of more than 12,000 permanent residents.

Tourism Whistler is the member-based marketing and sales organization representing Whistler, operating the Whistler Conference Centre, Whistler Golf Club, Whistler Visitor Centre, as well as 1.800.WHISTLER and whistler.com – Whistler’s official source for visitor information and booking. As the convention and visitors bureau for the Resort Municipality of Whistler, Tourism Whistler represents more than 8,000 members who own, manage and operate properties or businesses on Resort Lands including hotels, restaurants, activity operators and retail shops.

Media can visit whistler.com/media for Whistler facts, media releases, story starters, local personality profiles and access to images and B-roll.

Broadcasters: Whistler now has the capability to take you live with our enhanced fibre network. The significantly expanded network of more than 200 kilometres of fibre optic cabling throughout the resort allows instant transmission of HD signals to any location at any time. Details on how to access, and book the fibre are available on our media site.

Media Contacts

Tourism Whistler

Lauren Everest
Senior Manager, Corporate and Member Communications
T: 604.938.2727
E: leverest@tourismwhistler.com

Travel Media
T: 604.932.3928
E: mediarelations@tourismwhistler.com

W: www.whistler.com/media
T: www.twitter.com/mediaTWhistler
F: www.facebook.com/GoWhistler