Visitor Information

Regional Visitor information services are available in British Columbia. In addition, Downtown Ambassadors, sponsored by the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association, are easily spotted on Vancouver streets in their red uniforms. They can provide information, directions, and emergency assistance to anyone visiting Vancouver's central business district.

Contacts

Aboriginal Tourism Association of British Columbia (877/266-2822. www.aboriginalbc.com.)

Canadian Tourism Commission (613/946-1000. uscw.canada.travel.)

Downtown Ambassadors (604/685-7811. www.downtownvancouver.net.)

Tourism British Colombia (800/435-5622. www.hellobc.com.)

Granville Island Information Centre (604/666-5784. www.granvilleisland.com.)

Tourism Victoria InfoCentre (250/953-2033. www.tourismvictoria.com.)

Vancouver Visitor Centre (604/966-3260. www.tourismvancouver.com.)

Online Resources

All About Vancouver and British Columbia

Information of particular interest to outdoorsy types is on the Web site for B.C. Parks (www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks), which outlines recreation, camping, and conservation initiatives at provincially operated reserves throughout British Columbia. At the site for Parks Canada (www.pc.gc.ca), you can learn about the seven national parks that fall within B.C.'s borders. The Great Outdoor Recreation Page (www.gorp.com) is another fount of information for hikers, skiers, and the like. There are several useful general-interest sites that deal with travel in British Columbia. One good option is the ever-expanding VancouverPlus.ca (www.vancouverplus.ca), which provides tourism tips and travel suggestions for Vancouver. Among alternative newsweeklies, the Georgia Straight offers timely features about exploring the province in its "Outside" section (www.straight.com). For outdoors enthusiasts, in addition to specific sites mentioned in the book, there are several Web sites that can provide information. These include the Canadian Cycling Association (www.canadian-cycling.com), the Canadian Recreational Canoeing Association (www.paddlingcanada.com) for canoeing and kayaking, the Alpine Club of Canada (www.alpineclubofcanada.ca) for climbing and mountaineering, and the Royal Canadian Golf Association (www.rcga.org).

Safety

Transportation Security Administration (www.tsa.gov.)

Time Zones

Timeanddate.com. Timeanddate.com can help you figure out the correct time anywhere. www.timeanddate.com/worldclock.