Experience Vancouver’s North Shore, like a local. An empowering campaign aimed at growing sustainable tourism in the region

Grow tourism visits to Vancouver’s North Shore in a sustainable and strategic way by attracting conscious travellers and highlighting that they are welcomed and supported, as well as educating folks that are keen to learn.

Foster engagement, education, and action to protect and celebrate the North Shore while promoting meaningful tourism growth embraced by locals.

Key challenges included:

• Limited visitor awareness in caring for nature: littering, recycling practices, proximity to animals etc.
• Limited visitor awareness of safety practices: need for life jackets, helmets, hiking preparedness etc.
• Traffic and congestion concerns
• Supporting local residents and businesses

Destination Canada identified responsible travel, Indigenous connection, and a love for the wild as key market trends among travellers. These trends presented an opportunity for Vancouver’s North Shore to provide meaningful support that could positively impact tourism, benefiting both the economy and quality of life. There was also an opportunity to create a more purposeful campaign focused on educating visitors and locals alike about the traditional, shared, and unceded territories of the Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Peoples—lands on which we all live, work, and play.

Identifying that this campaign must be rooted in research and education, Patio conducted extensive resident and business surveys, as well as consulted and engaged with local governments, Indigenous leaders, and residents. Recognizing that the campaign needed to be approachable, inclusive and easy to follow, Patio developed North Shore Like a Local and its accompanying pledge.

The North Shore Like a Local pledge educates locals and visitors on preserving the region’s natural beauty and culture. Through a warm and inviting tone that always feels welcoming, it promotes environmental stewardship, cultural respect, and community safety through simple, actionable guidelines, ensuring long-term sustainability.

The campaign focuses on three key learning pillars:

• Safety and Community Resources (Play Like a Local)
• Environment (Love It Like a Local)
• Culture (Learn Like a Local)

A new website, social media program, content collaborations, video program, and ongoing communications outreach efforts support the sharing of sustainability and safety information to promote travel throughout the region. These efforts also aim to inspire visitors and residents to pledge their commitment to respecting the land, culture, and people — like a local.

The North Shore Like a Local campaign was submitted to the BC Tourism Industry Awards and was selected as a top three finalist for the Community Contribution and Impact category.