Business Improvement Areas and the Role of the Visitor Economy in the Survival, Recovery, and Progression of Main Streets in the Context of COVID-19

Business Improvement Areas (BIAs) are associations of property owners and tenants within a defined area who undertake initiatives to create successful business environments and attract people to them. This fundamental function shares similarities with the idea of a tourism destination, which manages the quality of the destination and attracts visitors to it. Despite this natural connectivity, current literature has yet to explore the relationship. BIAs may benefit from the application of a destination mindset to the BIA model to strategically attract and engage visitors, particularly as a long-term COVID-19 recovery strategy. This exploratory study involved a thematic analysis of 32 semi-structured interviews with Canadian BIA representatives. Findings demonstrate that BIAs are important actors in local visitor economy development and engagement, and that the visitor economy is important for BIAs in achieving their objectives. This thesis offers 13 recommendations for BIAs to consider to more effectively engage the visitor economy.