Insurance for B.C. Tourism Businesses

June 2, 2025

Business owners in British Columbia’s tourism industry can face accidents and damages involving customers and suppliers. Do you have enough liability insurance to protect your tourism business from lawsuits and legal claims?

You can customize your liability insurance to meet the needs of your B.C. tourism business to protect it from getting sued.

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What is tourism insurance for B.C. businesses?

Tourism insurance is a customized policy consisting of various commercial liability coverages to protect your business from financial losses and damages, often as a result of lawsuits.

B.C. tourism sector

B.C.'s tourism sector is a significant contributor to the province’s economy, generating substantial revenue and employment. British Columbia is known for its national and provincial parks, including Stanley Park in Vancouver. Most tourism businesses in B.C. are small businesses (employing less than 50 employees) that directly contribute to economies of their local communities.

Examples of businesses that need tourism insurance

• Guided tours
• Bed and breakfasts
• Ziplines businesses
• Kayaking/paddle boat/canoeing businesses
• Bicycle rentals
• Campgrounds
• Golf courses
• Ski resorts
• Spas
• Dinner theatres
• Golf courses
• Outdoor guides
• Adventure tourism
• Cabins/cottages
• Museums
• Gift shops
• Food stands

Liability insurance is the cornerstone of your B.C. tourism business’s insurance package. Here are the liability coverages that you need to help financially protect your tourism business from lawsuits.

Commercial general liability (CGL) insurance

This is necessary liability insurance for tourism businesses. What happens if someone gets injured or their property is damaged at your premises or while out on a tour? Without commercial general liability insurance, you will pay costs related to third-party (customer/supplier/member of the public) injuries or damage to their property out of your own pocket.

If you were sued, commercial general liability insurance would cover the legal costs to defend the claim against your B.C. tourism business in court, as well as costs to cover damages to compensate third parties whether you win or lose your case.

What kind of risks does CGL insurance cover?

· Injury to a third party who is not your employee

· Damage to someone’s property

· Damage to rented property

· Medical bills if someone is injured

· Legal costs and settlement costs of liability lawsuits filed against you

· Liability lawsuits related to slander and libel

Here’s how CGL insurance can help your B.C. tourism business: A customer is severely injured after the zipline they were using broke. The customer decides to sue you. Commercial general liability insurance can help pay for your legal fees, court-ordered settlement, and medical bills.

Cyber liability insurance

You keep sensitive financial information and data belonging to your clients. Your tourism/hospitality business could be hacked by cyberthieves. Cyber liability insurance will help financially protect your B.C. tourism business should there be a cyber attack and it will help cover the cost of restoring your computer system.

Depending on the size of the data breach and the information that was taken, the customers who are affected can hold you liable and sue you for damages.

Event liability insurance

Consider event liability insurance for your British Columbia tourism business. It helps pay for third-party bodily injury and third-party property damage claims that arise during the special event on your property or at a venue you rent. It can also include host liquor liability coverage if alcohol is served and business tenant’s liability insurance to cover damages to the venue.

Professional liability insurance

Professional liability insurance helps protect B.C. tourism businesses against claims of negligence or failure to deliver services as promised. It’s also called errors and omissions (E&O) insurance.

Do you have enough professional liability coverage to ensure adequate protection as a B.C. tourism business?

What other business insurance coverages do tourism businesses in British Columbia need?

Commercial property insurance

Commercial property insurance provides financial support to replace or cover repairs to your B.C. tourism business and its equipment if it is damaged by a flood, fire, or severe weather. It also covers vandalism and theft.

Did you know? Commercial property insurance protects contents such as computers, furniture, tools, equipment, and inventory. Commercial property coverage also extends to protect others’ property that is under your care.

Business interruption insurance

Business interruption insurance supports your B.C. tourism business when it can’t operate due to a covered loss, such as a fire.

There are a number of losses that can force your company to shut down. Some examples are:

• Damage to your equipment from fire or vandalism
• A major reduction in revenue due to a client/supplier facing losses of their own
• A disruption in your supply chain

Business interruption insurance can help with these expenses:

• Payroll
• Rent
• Utilities
• Property taxes
• Alarm monitoring
• Relocation of your business

Commercial auto insurance

If you are using your car for your job in B.C.’s tourism sector, it won’t be covered by your personal car insurance policy. You will need commercial auto coverage as part of your insurance package.

To sum up:

Protecting your B.C. tourism business with enough commercial liability insurance helps financially protect it from lawsuits and court-ordered settlements. Liability insurance can mean the difference between staying open and closing your tourism business in the event of a lawsuit.

5 FAQs about B.C. tourism industry

What defines B.C. tourism?

B.C. is known for its beautiful national and provincial parks. It’s also known for its breathtaking natural scenery. B.C. is home to about 1,000 provincial parks and seven national parks.

How many tourism regions does British Columbia have?

British Columbia has six tourism regions: Vancouver, Coast and Mountains, Vancouver Island, Thompson Okanagan, Northern BC, Cariboo Chilcotin Coast, and Kootenay Rockies.

What is the highest mountain in B.C.?

Fairweather Mountain, on the British Columbia/Alaska border, rises 4,663 metres/15,299 feet above sea level. Mount Waddington, in the Coast Mountains southeast of Bella Coola, is the tallest mountain entirely within British Columbia at 4,016 metres/13,176 feet.

What’s the longest river in B.C.?

The Fraser River is 1,375 kilometres/855 miles long.

Does B.C. have a lot of cyclists?

Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, is known as the “Cycling Capital of Canada,” with more cyclists per capita than anywhere else in the country.