Destination BC and Google team up in BC wilderness project (VIDEO)

The largest Trekker mapping project ever undertaken in Canada between a provincial tourism marketing organization and Google is now a reality in BC.

Through the partnership, imagery from BC’s wilderness has now been added to Google Maps.

The scenery is complemented with interviews with BC locals, photography, drone footage, immersive 360° video, and featured businesses on the new BC Journeys platform.

Putting it all together

The project began in 2016, when Destination BC and their partners were loaned two Google Street View Trekkers—a wearable backpack outfitted with 15 separate cameras that collect 360° panoramic imagery in remote outdoor locations inaccessible by car.

Over 105 days, the Google Street View Trekker traversed 983 kilometres on almost 200 treks, travelling by foot, horse, boat, floatplane, and helicopter.

Alongside Google, Destination BC sent a crew of expert content creators across the province to capture the stories and culture of British Columbians in those special places.

Highlights of this project are now featured on the new BC Journeys platform, and will be distributed to millions of potential visitors around the world.

‘Window into our wilderness’

Thanks to the new Trekkers and interactive platforms, “we can give people a window into our wilderness like never before – creating a connection before people even leave their homes,” said Marsha Walden, CEO of Destination BC.

“Combining this powerful, immersive video footage with compelling, authentic stories creates an augmented reality experience that is a pretty potent recipe for driving visitation.”

Walden’s sentiments were echoed by Shirley Bond, the provincial minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training.

The platform will “give people across the world a first-hand look at BC’s beautiful terrain,” Bond said. “We are seeing a record number of international visitors and we are widely recognized as a technology and creative industries hub.”

More than one billion people around the world use Google Maps every month, noted Nicole Bell, a Google Street View Trekker Expert.

“We’ve worked together for years to bring the world to British Columbia and bring British Columbia to the world,” she said. “We are thrilled to share some of British Columbia’s iconic landscapes.”