In this episode of TIABC's Voice of Tourism, Walt Judas welcomes Royce Chwin, President and CEO of Destination Vancouver, for a wide-ranging conversation on leadership, city building, and the future of Vancouver's visitor economy. Born and raised in the Lower Mainland, Royce shares his non-linear career path, from cleaning grease traps and opening Boston Pizza franchises to leading Canada's national tourism brand and eventually running one of the country's top destination management organizations. The conversation covers Destination Vancouver's transformation from a traditional sales-and-promotion DMO into a full destination management organization, tackling everything from hotel development policy and attraction investment to downtown safety and new international market opportunities. Royce details how the Hotel Development Task Force moved the city's pipeline from 9 to 28 properties, why Vancouver needs to reach 10,000 hotel rooms by 2050, and what the 2026 FIFA World Cup means as the next "leapfrog moment" for a city that is the only one in the world to have hosted a World Expo, Winter Olympics, FIFA Women's World Cup, and Men's World Cup. He also reflects on AI adoption at Destination Vancouver, the irreplaceable human element of tourism, and why curiosity and a mindset of change are at the core of his leadership philosophy.
