Real Talk With Maya Lange
Pictured: Maya Lange, Destination BC
Maya Lange has become a household name for many in B.C.’s tourism industry through her impactful role as VP of Global Marketing for Destination British Columbia. From the regular Destination BC webinar updates to the ongoing industry panels and discussions, she’s a strong voice at any table.
She found time in her busy schedule to speak with us about Destination BC’s continually evolving marketing efforts and her leadership journey. Read on to find out more about what lies ahead for the tourism industry and Maya’s advice on conquering impostor syndrome, building a strong network and the power of pivoting.
What are some of your most memorable and proud career highlights to date
What I am most proud of is how Destination BC pivoted to support the BC tourism industry during its most significant crisis in 2020 and 2021.
Early in 2020, my team was gearing up to start international marketing campaigns and was looking forward to another year of record growth in tourism revenue and visitation in BC.
Suddenly we had to shift from executing campaigns to sharing research and pertinent pandemic information with 500+ industry stakeholders on a weekly call, while supporting the Ministry and Provincial Government and working with our federal partners to access funds for the tourism industry.
We developed a 3-R framework (Response, Recovery, Resilience) to inform our response and executed against that through the worst of the crisis. In May 2020, when the Provincial Government launched the BC Restart Plan and enabled intra-provincial travel, the whole team at Destination BC worked hard to inspire local BC-only travel as well as provide information on how and where to travel safely to keep communities and locals safe while supporting revenue generation.
We know many owners and operators lost their businesses or had to lay off employees in 2020 and into 2021. It is so inspiring to see the team at Destination BC band together and work tirelessly with constantly shifting information to support the tourism industry as best we can and in as many ways as possible.
As travel restrictions continue to evolve and borders remain closed, how have you maintained and adapted Destination BC’s Marketing to support future visitation and revenue?
DBC has shifted considerably from focusing on international markets that, pre-pandemic, generated over 50% of the revenue yet only 25% of visitation, to focusing entirely on the domestic market in 2020 and 2021.
In 2021, restrictions on domestic travel are expected to be lifted first, while international borders around the world open more slowly to travel as vaccinations increase. That’s why Destination BC will focus on BC, Alberta and Ontario travel as the most immediate, concrete opportunity to generate revenue in 2021. We have extensive campaigns planned in these provinces and will work closely with our city, sector, airline and national partners to generate travel once restrictions allow.
In addition, Destination BC will grow interest from international travellers who will likely only come in larger numbers in 2022. To do this, we are already working closely with travel media, deepening our travel trade partnerships and co-op marketing campaigns, strengthening our airline partnerships and soon will be launching consumer-direct campaigns in our key international markets.
What words of advice do you have for women in our industry, who may be considering a different career path right now?
It has long been said that travel broadens the mind and new research has come out to show that it also makes you more creative and open-minded. It’s my belief that working in tourism helps you be all of these things as well.
Although tourism is struggling during the pandemic, it is forecast to grow significantly and will resume 2019 levels by 2024-2025. There will be many changes in how we travel but the “why” will always be clear.
For those looking for inspiration of why others love working in tourism, I encourage you to look at go2HR’s website and check out their 150 Reasons to Love Working in Tourism.
You were recognized as Marketer of the Year by the Canadian Marketing Association for your resourcefulness and work uniting BC’s tourism industry players in their marketing efforts. What tips do you have for building a strong professional network?
When someone goes on a trip, they interact with so many different types of organizations and businesses, from the front desk staff at the hotel to the server at the restaurant and the guide at the local attraction. Tourism relies on the interconnectedness of these organizations and the personal relationships that build them.
In the same way, we’ve been able to build a partnership of organizations in tourism to work together to better identify visitor preferences and interests and match that with greater marketing performance through advanced capabilities and shared systems. It was this work that was recognized by the Canadian Marketing Association in 2018 and continues to expand in 2021 and beyond.
My recommendation would be to seek out those natural connection points with your industry or business. For example, if you work in a restaurant, get to know the concierges at the local hotels and see if you can get recommendations to your restaurant. Or consider how to reach out to tour operators and attractions and offer knowledge you have. The key thing is to proactively reach out to organizations and create these connections. We each have something to offer and all of these relationships become part of your professional network and will make your role and your organization more successful in the long term.
You were new to the tourism industry when you joined Destination BC as VP of Global Marketing. What advice do you have for our readers on managing their inner critics and tackling impostor syndrome?
My years in advertising helped create an ability to ramp up quickly, having worked with clients across a broad range of industries. Ultimately, marketing requires an application of the same principles and capabilities regardless of the industry or sector. Doing destination marketing for a DMO as progressive and innovative at Destination BC has been an absolute dream and a highlight of my career to date.
We all struggle with concerns about not being smart or good enough, regardless of our age, education or level in an organization. What I would recommend to anyone is to (1) have a growth mindset and invest in your own knowledge (2) actively request feedback from peers and supervisors, and (3) listen to the experts around you. All of these will help grow your skills and experience and will create greater confidence. I have an amazing team whose depth of knowledge in tourism ensured that I was able to step in and adjust a few things that I felt we should focus on, and we were able to grow tourism revenue and visitation considerably in the first five years.
Can you talk about one woman who has impacted your life and career?
There are many women who have impacted my career and have been mentors on my career journey. One of the most impactful has been Marsha Walden, current President and CEO of Destination Canada and former President and CEO of Destination BC.
Marsha’s incredible foresight, insight-driven and collaborative approach pulled together the BC tourism industry and led us all to impressive accomplishments. Under her leadership and before the pandemic, between 2014 and 2019 tourism revenue to BC grew by almost 50% and visitation by over an estimated 40%. I know the Canadian tourism industry will ultimately be successful again due to her leadership during and out of the pandemic.
(Check out WORTH’s interview with Marsha Walden here)
Being a working mom is stressful at the best of times, what advice do you have for others trying to find balance in this challenging and unusual time?
Frankly, there is no balance when you love your work and you love being a parent. You just figure it out. One of my biggest personal accomplishments has been finding a partner who has been an incredible parent while managing his own career. I can honestly say that the strength of this partnership has been what has made things work at home and in our careers. And beyond that, to make things work, we do a LOT of advanced planning: meal planning, childcare planning and activity planning!
What are your favorite books, podcasts, websites and/or resources on leadership or the tourism industry?
I would say there are a few books that have had a profound impact on my leadership. The first is a book and approach on developing strategy called Playing to Win written by A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin based on a model introduced at Procter and Gamble. It is clearly written and has been a great way to rally a team and an industry around our strategy. In addition, Salim Ismail’s book on Exponential Organizations inspired me and others in our organization to consider how to innovate within a rigorous environment such as a Crown corporation. There are, of course, many great sources of information such as Skift, Destination Analysts, Phocusright and McKinsey that I rely on to keep on top of the industry and other industries who are leading in marketing and technology.
What is the top destination or experience on your BC bucket list?
There are honestly too many places in BC that are on my bucket list! Over the last few years, I have had a chance to share the province with my children. We have gone to a horse ranch in the Chilcotin, experienced a road trip in Northern BC from Prince Rupert to Prince George, learned about Gitxsan peoples at the ‘Ksan Historical Village and Museum near Hazelton, camped in the Kootenays, gone fishing in the Pacific and have swum in the warm waters of the Discovery Islands. Every year we try something new.
My dream is for every British Columbian to experience Indigenous tourism and ones that are on my list include visiting Gwaii Haanas on Haida Gwaii, the U’mista Cultural Centre in Alert Bay on Vancouver Island and the Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre near Osoyoos. There really is so much for Canadians to see and experience in BC.
About Maya Lange
Maya Lange is the VP, Global Marketing for Destination British Columbia. Maya has a proven track record of managing strong brands on the local, national and world stage having worked in data-driven digital marketing and content marketing in Germany, France, USA and Canada. In 2018, Maya was recognized as the Canadian Marketing Association’s Marketer of the Year. At Destination BC, Maya is responsible for our global marketing efforts in 14 domestic and international markets via the Super, Natural British Columbia® brand. A passionate British Columbian raising a young family, she loves skiing and exploring BC’s hidden wonders.