June 18, 2026 – The Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC) is pleased to announce that its next Funding Intake will launch on Tuesday, September 1, 2026 and close on Thursday, October 1, 2026.
Bold New Plan for Wells Gray Park Visitor Centre to Rebuild Tourism and Local Economy
Whether you’re a wilderness adventure lover, travel writer, photographer or historian, chances are you’ve visited Wells Gray Provincial Park. Located in the BC Interior near Clearwater, it is the province’s largest wilderness park, spanning 1.3 million acres. If you are looking for wild, it’s all here: spectacular waterfalls, soaring mountain peaks, old-growth interior rainforests and abundant wildlife.
The Wells Gray Visitor Information Centre, located near the park’s main gate, is the touchpoint for information on everything the park has to offer, from winter waterfall tours and wilderness survival courses to festivals and events. It also links visitors to more than 60 local accommodations, 16 guiding companies and dozens of restaurants, retail, and service businesses that support – and depend – on the tourism economy. At its peak in 2019, more than 100,000 people went through its doors, making it one of the busiest Visitor Centres in the province.
Wells Gray Park and nearby communities including Clearwater were hard hit by the impacts of COVID-19 as well as floods, wildfires, and mill closures. Visitor Centre traffic was down 79% between 2019 and 2021, and collapse of the local economy was a serious concern.
Creating a Strategy for Tourism Resilience and Growth
At the end of 2021, the organization that managed the Visitor Centre for more than a decade stepped away from the role and Tourism Wells Gray took over, guided by a new five-year financial and operations plan. “With this dramatically different tourism environment, creating a responsive operational plan was essential,” says Stephanie Molina, Executive Director of Tourism Wells Gray.
The project aligned with the strategic pillar of the Economic Trust of Southern Interior (ETSI-BC) to build capacity and resilience in key sectors such as tourism. Tourism Wells Gray received $13,000 in grant funding to develop the new strategy with assistance from Lions Gate Consulting, specialists in tourism planning and development.
After months of industry research, stakeholder consultation and review of best practices for Visitor Centres in the province, “We now have a road map to ensure the Visitor Centre is financially sustainable,” says Molina. “It also provides strategies to attract more visitors to the area for longer and repeat stays and it expands our connection to local businesses.”
The facility will now operate seven days a week from May to September in 2022 with the potential to extend the season through the fall and winter of 2022/23. Recruitment is underway for a Visitor Centre Manager, a new position reporting to Executive Director Molina. Three new Visitor Counsellors will augment front-line staff to ensure a high level of service as visitor numbers grow.
Focus on Revenue Generation and Virtual Services
The five-year financial plan provides for revenue generation from Visitor Centre space rentals and commissions from two tenants initially. This income will help cover the cost of operating the Centre and make it financially sustainable. While revenue will be nominal to start, it is expected to grow year over year as the pandemic recovery takes place.The North Thompson Aboriginal Cultural Centre Society, created to broaden awareness of all the Aboriginal people of the North Thompson Valley will continue to provide interpretive information and works by local artisans for sale. A second tenant, Big Food Trading, is an established outdoor equipment supplier and gift shop that will support retail operation for the current season.
A major recommendation in the plan is to ramp up the Centre’s virtual services to keep pace with how domestic visitors and international tourists look for information. This includes an online booking strategy to increase advance trip purchases. A mobile visitor service is also proposed to increase outreach into Clearwater and create a pathway for extending visitor services into the shoulder seasons.
“Without the support of ETSI-BC, this project would not have happened,” says Molina. “Having a bold new strategy in place gave our staff and Board of Directors the confidence to open the Centre this year, knowing visitor services in the community will continue.”
More News & Stories
ETSI-BC Spring Funding Intake Invests Over $1 Million to Strengthen the Southern Interior Economy
June 8, 2026 – Communities across British Columbia’s Southern Interior are set to benefit from a new round of investment through the Economic Trust of the Southern Interior. On June 5, 2026, ETSI-BC approved $1,011,000 in funding for 33 projects, representing a combined project value of $3 million. The funded initiatives will help communities diversify their local economies, support innovation, and respond to regional opportunities
Helping Shape the Future of ETSI-BC Support in the Southern Interior
May 11, 2026 – ETSI-BC is inviting partners from across the Southern Interior to participate in a series of virtual focus groups as part of an Impact Assessment that will inform its next three-year Strategic Plan, covering the period from April 1, 2027 to March 31, 2030.
Similkameen Economic Vitality Plan Drives Growth and Resilience
Keremeos, one of the fastest growing rural communities in British Columbia, has evolved from its agricultural heritage to a business hub at the heart of the Similkameen region with a robust tourist sector and vast potential to develop new business opportunities. In 2024, the Similkameen Country Development Association initiated a comprehensive Economic Vitality Initiative to better address the pressing needs of local businesses. Collaboration by many stakeholders along with funding support from the Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC) drove the plan to completion, and the strategies it contains are now being implemented.
Ktunaxa Business Showcase Links Indigenous Businesses to Procurement Opportunities
The Ktunaxa Business Showcase, led by the Ktunaxa Nation Council (KNC), is expanding, improving and helping members secure new business contracts in southeastern BC. The success of the most recent 2025 Showcase event reflects strategic changes to the program’s timeline and format, and was supported by funding from the Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC).
Strong Demand for ETSI-BC Spring Funding Intake
April 15, 2026 – The Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC) closed its 2026 Spring Funding Intake, with a strong response from communities and organizations across the region. The intake closed on April 9, 2026, with 48 applications requesting nearly $1.7 million in funding, representing a combined project value of almost $4 million.
2026 ETSI-BC Legislative Review
March 30, 2026 – We are pleased to present the findings and recommendations of the 2026 ETSI-BC Legislative Review Committee. The Committee reviewed the Act that governs ETSI-BC and the proposed changes that the Province has put forward this year. A Legislative Review is conducted every 5 years by an independent committee. This year in particular, their report has several important recommendations of relevance to First Nations and local governments in the Southern Interior, and to the Province.
Stepping up the PACE of Inclusive Employment in Penticton
Creating flexible, part-time job opportunities for workers with barriers has been the driving force behind The Penticton & Area Cooperative Enterprise (PACE) for more than 20 years. Hundreds of employees have found sustainable jobs with local employers based on PACE’s job-sharing model to fill full-time positions.
With support from the Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC), PACE has standardized and expanded its model to ensure more people can access paid work in the community and employers have access to labour market solutions, which are increasing economic growth in the Penticton area and beyond.
Columbia Valley on a Roll as Film Production Provides Region-Wide Benefits
With its spectacular landscapes and the small-town charm of communities like Radium, Invermere and Fairmont Hot Springs, the Columbia Valley in the East Kootenay region has been the backdrop of film productions for decades. In 2024, Columbia Valley Community Economic Development (CVCEDO) built on this momentum by hiring a Film Coordinator to ensure the Columbia Valley was the location of choice for two new productions and create a strategy for long-term growth of the film sector. The project was supported with a grant from the Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC).
CF Central Okanagan Leadership Program Teaches Businesses Sustainability Practices
An innovative program to help new and expanding businesses build sustainable business practices (SD) into their ventures has resulted in a model for long-term business growth and economic capacity building in the Okanagan. The Sustainable Business Development Leadership Program created by Community Futures Central Okanagan was supported by the Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC). It provides valuable insights into Sustainable Business Practices and the training serves as a model that could be shared with Community Futures clients in other regions.