When the Kootenay Lake ferry strike began in November 2024, tourism-dependent businesses in Balfour and the East Shore areas of the Central Kootenay saw visitor numbers drop sharply.

Restaurants, campsites, shops and service businesses on both sides of the lake felt the effects of travel uncertainty, with some struggling to keep their doors open. The nearly six-month disruption also reduced the amount of Municipal and Regional District Tax (MRDT) generated, reducing funds available for regional marketing.

Nelson Kootenay Lake Tourism (NKLT) heard loud and clear from local Chambers of Commerce, businesses and tourism groups that they needed a plan to help bring visitors back to the area.  With funding support from the Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC), the NKLT launched the No Better Place, No Better Time marketing campaign to encourage visitors to return to the communities most affected.

ETSI-BC spoke to Peter Moynes, Executive Director of NKLT about the project.

ETSI-BC: How did this initiative come together?

Peter: The visitor economy is essential to the remote, rural communities in our region and we recognized the urgent need to address the impacts of the strike. We consulted at length with business operators and our tourism partners to understand the impacts, and started working on the plan right away, so it was ready to launch as soon as the strike ended.

How did you get the message out?

Using a variety of marketing techniques, the campaign highlighted the accessibility, beauty and uniqueness of the region with the message that our communities are open, welcoming and ready to be rediscovered.

Our partners in Balfour and the East Shore reported that American visitation was typically strong throughout the summer and into the fall, so we placed digital display advertising within a six-hour drive in Washington, Idaho, Alberta and BC. We also ran radio ads in Creston, Cranbrook, Castlegar and Nelson to remind those close by in the province that our region was open for business.

Working with  the Regional District of Columbia Kootenay (RDCK) and the area’s  Chambers of Commerce, we were able to identify and list 76 tourism-related businesses in many of our marketing materials so that potential visitors could plan their trip and support local businesses. A golf giveaway contest listed all the golf courses in the area with the winner choosing the course they wanted to play.

What impact did the campaign have overall?

Data available from our digital marketing efforts clearly showed increased awareness of our region tied to the campaign. The strike ended in April 2025 and by the end of the summer, Chambers of Commerce also provided positive feedback on business activity and retention. At the request of the business community, an additional “fall pulse” of regional advertising took place.  Importantly, none of the affected businesses had to close due the strike.

Almost two years since the strike ended, is the plan still relevant to tourism in the region?

Certainly, the project inspired a new approach to tourism data collection to help guide marketing decisions. We encourage our partners to maintain efficient data collection to help with this type of reporting.

Meanwhile, the NKLT continues to work on asset creation including a marketing video for the region. The more people know about the region, the more likely they are to visit again, and potentially live and work here.

A major success to come out of this project is the level of collaboration and communication achieved with our tourism and business partners. Issues were brought to our attention and we responded quickly, contributing to a more resilient and sustainable tourism economy. We’re grateful for the support of ETSI-BC for this important project to our area.