Planet Happiness Survey -Community Well-Being Survey

Measuring the Well-Being of British Columbia Communities

In 2023, the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association partnered with the British Columbia Regional Tourism Secretariat, Planet Happiness, and the Happiness Alliance, to launch the Community Well-Being Survey for the second time in the Thompson Okanagan and the second time throughout British Columbia.

What Were the Goals of Planet Happiness & the Survey?

1) Understanding the impact of tourism on the well-being of residents & communities in World Heritage sites & strengthening the relationship between tourism & residents to improve the quality of life of local communities.

2) Raising global awareness & participation in the Gross National Happiness (GNH) & “Beyond GDP” agenda.

3) Contribute to the Tourism Impact Portal.

What was the Planet Happiness Survey?

Planet Happiness is well established as part of a global initiative to measure well-being in tourism destinations linked to UNESCO World Heritage Sites, with partners in 14 tourism destinations across ten countries. Indicators include satisfaction with life, access to nature and arts, community engagement, standard of living, life-long learning, and health. 

The Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association and British Columbia Regional Tourism Secretariat (BCRTS) were the first Planet Happiness partnership in Canada.

The well-being of residents is a key aspect of sustainability and tourism resiliency, throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and always. The BCRTS is committed to turning the findings of the Community Well-being survey into actionable steps to inform its efforts to become a more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient destination.

The survey ran until April 30th, 2023. Individuals and companies were encouraged to take and share the survey as well as the media kit to promote the survey on social media and through marketing emails.