Tourism Nanaimo

What Tourism Nanaimo does

Tourism Nanaimo is the designated Destination Management Organization (DMO) for the City of Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada. Incorporated in 2022 as a not-for-profit society (legally the Tourism Association of Vancouver Island, dba Tourism Nanaimo), the organization promotes the Nanaimo region through visitor information, trip planning resources, event listings, accommodation booking, and destination marketing aimed at leisure travelers, sport event organizers, and meeting/conference planners across BC, Alberta, Ontario, and the Pacific Northwestern US.

The organization's primary product is tourismnanaimo.com, a destination marketing website built on the Simpleview CRM platform. The site integrates a Book Direct booking engine (tourismnanaimo.bookdirect.net) for accommodation reservations, an event calendar, a business directory of local tourism operators, and a partner portal for stakeholder engagement (nanaimobc.extranet.simpleviewcrm.com). Supporting products include a Visitor Information Centre at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre, a media relations program hosting journalists and influencers via FAM trips, sport hosting and meetings & conferences development services, two newsletters (visitor and industry), a free printed/digital Visitor Guide, and grant programs (Sports Event Grant, Festivals & Events Grant) administered to local event organizers.

Tourism Nanaimo does not sell products or services directly to consumers. Its funding model rests on three pillars: municipal funding from the City of Nanaimo, provincial government grants, and — since 2025 — the Municipal Regional District Tax (MRDT), a 3% levy on local hotel stays remitted by the Province and reinvested into tourism marketing, destination development, events, and visitor services. The organization is governed by a volunteer board and operates with a small team of approximately eight named staff led by CEO Carly Pereboom, including dedicated roles for sport tourism, business development (meetings), marketing, communications, visitor services, and operations.

Name

Tourism Nanaimo

Legal name

Tourism Association of Vancouver Island

Website

https://tourismnanaimo.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Tourism Nanaimo is the designated Destination Management Organization for the City of Nanaimo, BC. The not-for-profit society operates tourismnanaimo.com, provides visitor services, develops sport and meeting tourism, and administers grants funded by municipal sources and the 3% MRDT.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Destination Management Services

NAICS

Convention and Visitors Bureaus (561591)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Full-Service Destination Management (Ground Handling & Onsite Operations) (THAHADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Venue & Special Event Site Sourcing (Unique Venues, Permitting) (THAHADAE), Event Production & Theming (Décor, Creative, Entertainment Booking) (THAHADAH)

Keywords

• Destination marketing
• Visitor information services
• Tourism promotion
• Trip planning resources
• Event listings

Headquarters

HQ city

Nanaimo

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Municipal Regional District Tax (MRDT): A 3% MRDT is collected by local hotels, similar to GST, and submitted to the Ministry of Finance. The tax is then returned to the city where it was generated. In 2025, this became a new funding source for Tourism Nanaimo. The revenue is reinvested into tourism marketing, destination development, events, and visitor services.
2. Government Grants: Funded through government grants, provincial entities, and municipal funding from the City of Nanaimo. Tourism Nanaimo Society is incorporated as a not-for-profit Destination Management Organization.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Tourism Nanaimo operates as the designated Destination Management Organization (DMO) for the City of Nanaimo, BC, delivering destination marketing, visitor information, and trip planning resources through its website (tourismnanaimo.com), a Visitor Information Centre, a media relations program, and sport/meetings tourism bid development services. It supports local tourism operators via a partner portal, business listing registration, and grant programs (Sports Event Grant, Festivals & Events Grant), and drives destination awareness through seasonal marketing campaigns, press trips, and content marketing.

Product overview

Tourism Nanaimo is the designated Destination Management Organization (DMO) for the City of Nanaimo, operating a comprehensive tourism platform centered on its main website (tourismnanaimo.com). The organization provides visitor services through its Information Centre, supports sport hosting and meetings & conferences initiatives, manages a partner portal for local tourism businesses, and offers grant programs for sports events and festivals. Additional services include media relations, visitor guides, newsletters, business listing registration, and a volunteer ambassador program. The portfolio works together to promote Nanaimo as a destination while supporting the local tourism industry through marketing, research, and community engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tourism Nanaimo Destination Website The primary destination marketing website for Nanaimo, BC, providing visitor information, event listings, accommodation booking via the Book Direct engine, dining guides, trip planning resources, and itinerary content for leisure travellers planning visits to the region.
• Media Relations Program Travel media relations program supporting journalists, photographers, freelancers, social influencers, content creators, editors, and broadcasters with story research, itinerary development, image sourcing, familiarization trips (FAMs), and filming permits to generate destination coverage for Nanaimo.
• Partner Portal Industry partner extranet portal (nanaimobc.extranet.simpleviewcrm.com) providing business listing registration and access to marketing, social media, destination development opportunities, and stakeholder resources for local tourism businesses.
• Visitor Information Centre Community visitor information centre operated by Tourism Nanaimo at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre, providing in-person travel assistance, local recommendations, retail shop (souvenirs), and Ambassador program support to visitors of Nanaimo.
• Sport Hosting Services Sport tourism initiative supporting event planning, bid development, venue and hotel selection, familiarization trips, and liaising with local, provincial, and national sports organizations to host sporting events in Nanaimo's Stadium District venues.
• Meetings and Conferences Services Business development services for meeting planners including bid preparation assistance, venue selection, familiarization tours, hosting consultations, and delegate pass programs for conferences and meetings in Nanaimo.
• Visitor Guide Printed and digital visitor guide providing comprehensive trip planning information for visitors to Nanaimo, including attractions, accommodations, dining, and activity recommendations.
• Email Newsletter Program Email newsletter program including both Visitor newsletter for trip planning inspiration and Industry newsletter for tourism partners, providing tourism updates, promotional content, and program information via website subscription.
• Sports Event Grant Financial support grant program administered by Tourism Nanaimo providing funding to sports event organizers for hosting athletic events in Nanaimo.
• Festivals and Events Grant Financial support grant program administered by Tourism Nanaimo providing funding to festivals and event organizers hosting events in Nanaimo.
• Business Listing Registration Registration system allowing tourism businesses to create and manage listings on tourismnanaimo.com for business exposure, online visibility, and integration into the destination business directory.

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• City of NanaimocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary funder of Tourism Nanaimo Society. The organization was created and incorporated in 2022 funded by the City of Nanaimo. The City controls the MRDT (Municipal Regional District Tax) program, including the Optional Affordable Housing Component (OAP). MOU signed with 'Team Nanaimo' in 2023/24.
• Nanaimo Hospitality AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTourism Nanaimo partnered with the Nanaimo Hospitality Association during year one of operations (2022) for initial industry alignment and collaboration.
• Snuneymuxw First NationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTourism Nanaimo is committed to advancing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action, specifically Call to Action 92 (Indigenous partnerships in tourism for economic reconciliation) and Call to Action 79 (sharing Indigenous histories in collaboration with First Nation governments). Saysutshun (Newcastle Island) is stewarded by the Snuneymuxw First Nation. The organization's work takes place on the territories of the Snuneymuxw, Snaw-naw-as, and Stzuminus people.
• Snaw-naw-as and Stzuminus First NationsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTourism Nanaimo acknowledges with gratitude that its work takes place on the territories of the Snuneymuxw, Snaw-naw-as, and Stzuminus people. Committed to Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action and supporting Indigenous rights and protocols.
• Travel Media Association of CanadaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTourism Nanaimo is an active member of the Travel Media Association of Canada and regularly hosts journalists, photographers, influencers and content creators in the city. Partner businesses can be considered for hosting opportunities coordinated by Tourism Nanaimo's marketing team.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tourism Victoria: City-level DMO for the BC capital on the southern end of Vancouver Island, directly competing with Tourism Nanaimo for inbound leisure, sport event, and meeting business in the same island context. Highly comparable mandate, funding model, and product mix.
• Tourism Vancouver Island: Regional DMO covering Vancouver Island including Nanaimo itself — the closest structural peer as a multi-community destination marketing organization with shared government funding and MRDT exposure, and the same parent legal entity (Tourism Association of Vancouver Island).
• Banff & Lake Louise Tourism: Canadian DMO with a sports/meetings/leisure mandate, MRDT funding, and Indigenous partnership focus similar in shape to Tourism Nanaimo but at much larger scale, demonstrating the ultimate scale potential of a destination-funded DMO model.
• Thompson Okanagan Tourism Region: Regional BC tourism organization with multi-community destination marketing mandate similar in scope to Tourism Nanaimo, drawing on MRDT and provincial funding — a comparable operating model in another BC tourism region.
• Tourism Saskatoon: Mid-sized Canadian city DMO with sport hosting, meetings and conferences, and leisure visitor services comparable in scope and team scale to Tourism Nanaimo; a useful peer benchmark for Canadian second-tier city destination marketing.
• Tourism Kelowna: Mid-sized BC city DMO of comparable scope — destination marketing, meeting/sport bid development, visitor services — funded by municipal and MRDT sources; a useful scale and budget analogue for Tourism Nanaimo's growth pathway.
• Tourism Whistler: Canadian resort destination DMO operating sport hosting, meetings/conferences, and leisure marketing under a similar MRDT-plus-municipal model, but at materially larger scale — useful as an aspirational comparator for the high-end of Tourism Nanaimo's strategy.

Broad incumbents

• Tourism Vancouver: Large Canadian city DMO operating destination marketing, conventions (convention bureau function), and sport hosting at a major-city scale — comparable in functional mandate but much larger in budget, scale, and visitor mix.
• Destination British Columbia: Provincial DMO that funds and coordinates community-level DMOs including Tourism Nanaimo; comparable as the upstream funder in the same destination marketing hierarchy and source of cooperative marketing programs Tourism Nanaimo taps into.
• Destination Canada: National DMO responsible for international and inter-provincial destination marketing, of which Tourism Nanaimo is a downstream provincial/city partner — relevant as the upstream operator in the Canadian destination marketing value chain.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tourism-nanaimo

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tourism Nanaimo