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Lakeman ready for her own 'bon voyage'

Tourism Richmond CEO to step down on Dec. 31
Tracy Lakeman
As the CEO of Tourism Richmond for the past 13 years, Tracy Lakeman has been at the forefront of putting Richmond on the map for tourists from around the globe. Photo submitted

Where is Richmond?

It’s a question Tracy Lakeman, along with her staff at Tourism Richmond, has managed to answer repeatedly during the near 13 years she has served as the organization’s CEO.

And as she approaches the final month in her post after recently announcing her departure, which takes effect Dec. 31, she reflected on the challenges and successes that came from getting Richmond on the map with visitors.

“Our biggest challenge was getting Richmond recognized as a destination for visitors, because we don’t have large, iconic tourist attractions,” she told the News. “But we took that as an opportunity and after completing quite a lot of research, we’ve been able to position Richmond as a destination that’s affordable, accessible to Downtown Vancouver and YVR – which are key selling features. And we are also taking advantage of the Asian culture and cuisine here, which is very unique in Canada.”

Much of those efforts was defining Richmond as much more than just another area of Vancouver. And that quest came with promoting the parts of Lulu Island that made it unique.

“Travellers didn’t have a preconception of what Richmond was,” she said. “They just thought we were part of Vancouver and that still happens. But we are a very distinct part of Metro Vancouver now. We’re not just rolled in with Vancouver. And that’s made a significant difference.”

So, in 2004, Tourism Richmond began highlighting areas, beginning with Steveston, as primary attractions.

“Since then, we’ve expanded to the rest of Richmond as a destination,” she said.

An opportunity to boost that and the rest of the city came with Richmond being a host city during the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

“Oh, very much so,” Lakeman said. “Certainly, the (2010 Winter) Olympics played a part, but not as obviously as people might imagine. Because we were a venue city, we were accepted into a fairly tight tourism group which allowed us to take advantage of the Olympics in a way we needed to.”

For example, it provided access to international meeting planners who were shown that Richmond was capable of hosting major conventions.

One legacy of that is the fact the meetings and events market make up about a third of all tourism visits to Richmond.

“It also gave us access to international media,” Lakeman said, adding the exposure helped give Richmond a heightened profile.

“It was a matter of placing Richmond in that right spot and having a brand which was recognizable.”

Helping out was the city’s O Zone Olympic celebration site at Minoru Park that, during its 17-day run, drew more than 500,000 people.

“So, the Olympics gave us the opportunity to work with our national and provincial partners who also saw we were capable of operating in the international scene,” she said.

“As a result, our relationships with them have only continued to grow.”

Unique local tourism initiatives, such as the 365 Days of Dining and the recent Dumpling Trail, highlighted the array of Asian cuisine in the city and invited people to come explore it.

“One of the things that I take great pride in is our Asian culture and cuisine and how we’ve been able to leverage that,” Lakeman said.

She credited her staff for being committed, enthusiastic and taking great pride in showcasing Richmond to the traveling world.

“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working with them.”

As for what the future holds for her, Lakeman said she plans on “working a little less and playing a little more.”

On the play side, that means more time on the golf course with her 85-year-old father. Plus, there will be trips to Alberta to visit other members of her family.

“I’m very excited about what the future holds,” she said.