Article
Juan de Fuca Tourism Strategy Offers a New Look at a Timeless Landscape
November 19, 2025 4 Minute Read
CBRE’s Rebecca Godfrey and her colleagues at Place Generation have worked with Destination Canada to create a regenerative tourism strategy for the Juan de Fuca Strait. It’s a first of its kind, collaborative, cross-border initiative between Canada and the U.S., spearheaded by Destination Canada’s Tourism Corridor Strategy Program.
At a time when many Canadians are opting not to travel south of the border, a new Juan de Fuca Corridor initiative aims to give communities, businesses and tourists an opportunity to bridge the divide and come together in support of a new and expansive tourism vision for the region surrounding the Juan de Fuca Strait.
“Destination Canada’s Corridor Program represents true destination development and destination management,” says Godfrey.
For the Juan de Fuca region, it’s about creating better access, sustainable tourism experiences, and strong Indigenous and non-Indigenous collaboration, while attracting international visitors and encouraging them to find hidden gems in these places.
The goal of the strategy is to enhance Juan de Fuca’s economic, social and cultural development through tourism but without compromising the corridor’s natural assets and profound cultural heritage.
“The strategic vision for the Corridor incorporates common values of the people that live on both sides of the border: preserving nature, wildlife and the Strait that connects them,” Godfrey says.
Growing Prosperity, Protecting the Environment
Known for its old-growth forests and rugged coastal trails, Juan de Fuca is a natural corridor for many species of land and marine animals. Supporting this rich ecosystem through sustainable investment is critical to the project’s success.
“We had a survey for residents to ask them about tourism opportunities and what was important to them,” Godrey explains. “When we came up with a long list of investment opportunities, we hosted workshops with people to make sure they bought in. This involved Indigenous representation, regional residents, government and a whole range of different interest holders.”
Identifying significant investment opportunities within Juan de Fuca was a challenge. Despite the park's abundance of adventure tourism possibilities, Godfrey notes it was tough to attract significant private investment and foster community engagement.
“Many residents believed more hotels would help, but the reality is, there have to be enough demand generators to draw visitors year-round and the Corridor isn’t at that point yet.”
Clean Energy Connections
One valuable investment opportunity identified by Godfrey’s team would be a high-speed electric passenger ferry service linking Juan de Fuca communities to Victoria, BC, eventually extending across the Strait to Corridor communities in Washington state.
“The whole idea of ‘connections’ was a huge theme throughout our workshops,” Godfrey says.
The low-emission electric ferries proposed in the strategy would create better access for visitors interested in lesser-known communities that were previously out of reach, such as Port Renfrew and Pacheedaht territory in B.C.
“Ferries are a way of life in BC,” Godfrey says. “You’ve got the giant BC ferries as well as the existing Black Ball ferry that connects Victoria and Port Angeles, both services supporting the Corridor’s visitor economy.
“What we want to do is better connect the people who live in the community and give visitors the opportunity to witness the area’s natural beauty without disturbing it.”
Other investment opportunities include the development of e-bike and scooter services, further facilitating connections throughout the island for both residents and tourists and a Bioregional Marine Centre which will encompass an interpretive centre, a cultural centre for Indigenous heritage, and a sanctuary for marine life.
Sustainable Travel Experiences
Ultimately the Juan de Fuca tourism strategy aims to enable people to experience the region more fully while encouraging a more sustainable approach to tourism.
“That’s the ideal,” says Godfrey. “Drawing a visitor market consisting of people who are genuinely interested in getting to know a place and who want to give back to some extent, making sure they leave it the same or in a better position than it was before.”
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