By Kathy Cooper

Kootenay Rockies Tourism CEO

As I tried to think of an original way to start this message, I was struck by how many notices of this nature I have seen over the last year or so from other folks in the tourism industry. And yes, I am talking about retirement and I will be doing exactly that at the end of November, 2025.

I was curious about this and looked up the most recent statistics on Baby Boomer retirement numbers and it was quite astounding. In 2020, approximately 29 million Baby Boomers retired, but by 2030, at least 75 million will have retired from the workforce! Clearly, I am not alone in this!

I have had the good fortune to have been at Kootenay Rockies Tourism Association for 38 years, the last 12 as CEO and I have been invested in tourism and hospitality for my entire career with the early days spent in hospitality in Ontario. I moved to Kimberley in 1982 and have never left.

To say that I love the region I work on behalf of is an understatement; this place is truly home.

To be sure, the Kootenay Rockies region is uniquely different and that is what is so incredible about BC, all the regions are vastly different from each other and together form a province that I fell in love with during my first trip to Vancouver many decades ago now.

There are many parts of this beautiful province that I have never been to and upon retirement, I hope to explore and experience all the incredible destinations within British Columbia.

I also have to acknowledge and thank my regional CEO colleagues. Solidifying our working relationship as the BC Tourism Regional Secretariat (BCRTS) was a long time coming and cemented our common visions and goals for tourism growth and development of shared projects that brought benefit to many regional partners and businesses.

Of course, the businesses who operate and are dependent on the visitor economy for their daily livelihoods are the key piece of the ecosystem and are always in the forefront of our minds as we conduct our work. It has been inspiring to watch businesses grow and expand, adapt in times of hardship and to see new entrepreneurs open up shop and new investment come to this region.

Importantly, none of us stand alone in this sector, if anything we are an industry that truly has each other’s back and wants everyone to be successful.  That unity has shown up so strongly when there have been times of crisis, everyone pitches in and works together, whether they are competitors or allies.

I owe such gratitude to all the folks I have worked with over the years at both the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport and Destination BC. The support and guidance over my many years here has been immeasurable and the people on staff have truly been a joy to work alongside.

Clearly an organization such as KRT which was established in 1978, has had many board members over the years and too many individuals to name, but we have been fortunate to have always had a dedicated, supportive board of regional folks who have brought their passion for tourism and this region together and they have been a critical component  in ensuring our strategy and vision are on point and remain relevant to the tourism partners in the Kootenay Rockies region.

I must add my personal thanks to Mike Smith, Thom Tischik, Tom Rosner and Mike McPhee, who all served as board chairs during my time here as CEO.

They could not have been more supportive, knowledgeable and giving of their time to me and KRT.

For now it is business as usual and I hope to connect with many of you virtually or in person before I depart. I am grateful to all of you in this industry, I have learned so much from the dedicated people in this sector and enjoyed so many of our connections and conversations whether at conferences, meetings, receptions or along our travels together.

Our board has formed a hiring committee and Chemistry Consulting will be leading the executive search for the next CEO to take this organization into the future. Posting will be out later this week.

I leave with a full heart and hope to see you while on a road trip in this beautiful province we call home!

Editor’s note: Thank you Kathy, for your exemplary service to the travel and tourism industry and the region as a whole. Enjoy your upcoming retirement!

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