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Vancouver Tourism CEO takes tourism to new levels

When athletes converged in Vancouver to compete in the 2010 Olympics and half the world tuned in to watch , you could be excused for thinking that being in charge of promoting Vancouver tourism was the easiest job in the world.
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When athletes converged in Vancouver to compete in the 2010 Olympics and half the world tuned in to watch , you could be excused for thinking that being in charge of promoting Vancouver tourism was the easiest job in the world.

The city has majestic mountains, an ocean horizon, stately bridges, glittering condo towers, a seawall that snakes along a gorgeous coastline, oodles of restaurant districts, access to nature what sort of a sell job is required?

Of course, getting the Olympics to Vancouver was no easy feat in itself. As president and CEO of Tourism Vancouver, Rick Antonson was in on the dream for the 2010 bid from the beginning. He was the one who was so persistent in bringing it before City Council, says former mayor Sam Sullivan, describing Antonsons role as critical.

Vancouvers pride in the Olympics success was the countrys pride and will certainly be one of the highlights of Antonsons career.

Last week in Ottawa, Antonson was inducted into the Canadian Tourism Hall of Fame in recognition of his ability to turn everyone into believers of Vancouvers potential.

But friends say that Antonsons true strength is in evidence more when things arent quite going Vancouvers way. When the global economy sours, or Americans dont like needing a passport to get here, or funding partners are feeling the fiscal pinch, this city counts on his refusal to join the chorus of gloom.

Anybody can be a great leader in easy times, says Stephen Darling, a past chairman of Tourism Vancouver and a power broker in Vancouvers hospitality scene. Rick has the vision to lead everyone out of the bad times with a practical, strategic and organized plan. He creates an environment where people realize that team work is better than an individuals work.

Better yet, Darling says, when a solution is found, Antonson has a way of making everyone think it was their idea.

Rick cares about people, Sullivan adds. He is always looking for opportunities that would allow his staff to grow. He makes every effort to focus the attention on the people who work for Tourism Vancouver and not on himself. He believes in the importance of tourism both for the many people who work in the industry and also for the important role it has for world peace.

World peace through tourism? Think about it, Antonson said at a BC Clefs dOr gala on Monday night at the Vancouver Art Gallery. By journeying to other countries, we learn more about their people and customs, which helps break down barriers of understanding.

Were all about bringing people together to learn from one another, he said.

Antonson gives credit to the people working in Vancouvers tourism industry, for helping to give the world a positive impression of Vancouver. Everyone in this room, he told the gathering of professional hotel concierges, does what you do because its important work. You ensure good things happen.

Maybe Antonsons success in promoting Vancouver as a destination comes from his ability to tap into his insatiable curiosity as a tourist himself, as chronicled in his books Route 66 Still Kicks (which was recently reviewed by the New York Times) and To Timbuktu for a Haircut.

Ricks passion for travel and unique way for getting himself in and out of trouble is remarkable, says his Route 66 travelling companion Peter Armstrong, who owns Rocky Mountaineer, with a laugh.