A $700,000 renovation to Squamish Adventure Centre to begin

A provincially-funded $700,000 renovation to the Squamish Adventure Centre will start on Feb. 24, shutting down the building for about two months.

In the meantime, Tourism Squamish will set up a virtual visitor centre while the construction is underway. Details can be found at exploresquamish.com.

“The Squamish Adventure Centre is an iconic visual anchor in our community and a key point of entry for our visitors,” said Mayor Armand Hurford in a news release.

“This funding from the province allows us to improve the way in which we welcome visitors, introduce them to all our community has to offer, and inspire a culture of responsible tourism and recreation. We thank the province for this funding that will allow us to modernize our tourism-oriented facility and create an enhanced experience for all that we welcome.”

The upgrades will include what District officials are calling an “immersive Squamish (Sḵwx̱wú7mesh) story tourism experience aimed at inspiring a new generation of travellers to Squamish.”

There will also be improvements to the theatre and modernization of the space for meetings and events.

“Tourism Squamish and the Squamish Chamber of Commerce have been involved with the Squamish Adventure Centre in various ways since its inception,” said Tourism Squamish executive director Lesley Weeks, in the release. “The revitalization of this space supports our vision for the building and the organization as we enter this next phase of the tourism economy in the post-pandemic world.”

The project is fully funded by the Tourism Dependent Communities Fund (TDCF), part of StrongerBC: BC’s Economic Recovery Plan, intended to generate jobs, create valuable assets for communities and attract more visitors in the future as tourism economies emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, reads the District announcement.

“Tourism is one of our province’s most dynamic industries. Every day, people around the world are making plans to visit our great province,” said provincial Tourism Minister Lana Popham in the release. “I am pleased to see that our direct investment in tourism-dependent communities is benefitting the Squamish Adventure Centre. Investments in tourism infrastructure are integral to community vibrancy, continued recovery, and will benefit residents and visitors for years to come.”
 

The Adventure Centre was built in 2006 and has promoted local tourism and business, while hosting a variety of events in the years since it opened.

It’s welcomed thousands of people, recording 200,000 guests in 2019, according to District numbers.