Following a surprise closure in September 2024, the Pemberton Visitor Centre is set to re-open in a new location. The new building next to Blackbird Bakery is targeting a May long weekend re-launch.
“We really just want people to connect,” said Christine Raymond, Tourism Pemberton’s executive director. “What we're the most excited about is providing a space for that connection.”
In August 2024, news broke on Facebook that the former centre, located on the south side of Highway 99, would be closing its doors.
The Pemberton & District Chamber of Commerce (PDCC) explained at the time that the land, owned by the Lil’wat, was set for re-development by the Nation. The sani-dump on the same parcel of land, which allowed RV owners to safely discharge their sewage to a septic tank, was set to be removed as part of that redevelopment.
“When the septic system is removed, we are not able to run a facility there,” former PDCC president Adam Adams previously told Pique.
He also noted the closure was only a few days earlier than the centre’s regular seasonal shut down, and that the students who made up the centre’s staff were busy going back to school.
On Sept. 5, 2024, Pique reported that Tourism Pemberton would oversee the development of a new centre and was hoping to open it by the time the tourism season kicked into high gear in May 2025.
Since then, Raymond said the board has been working on a new vision idea for the facility—one that squares with Tourism Pemberton’s goal of promoting “responsible and sustainable tourism."
“But when we raised our hand and we were like, ‘OK, we want to take on the centre,’ We didn’t know what it was going to be,” she said.
The board kicked around a handful of ideas, drawing data from tourism organizations across the province. They considered fully digital, fully physical and hybrid options.
The board landed on a hybrid model; a physical, staffed, window-service location next to Blackbird Bakery, but with an occasional sign out front that directs visitors to join Tourism Pemberton staff at a local business to help out-of-towners branch out and explore the town.
“So maybe one day you go to the visitor centre and it'll say, ‘Today, find us at Mount Currie Coffee,’ or, ‘Today, come visit the Pemberton Valley Lodge.' Or, ‘Find us at Copper Cayuse Outfitters,’ just to bring people out to participate,” Raymond said.
She added the new building is a testament to the community; the Pemberton chapter of the Men’s Shed—an international organization aimed at reducing isolation among older men, particularly in rural areas—donated its old shed to act as a new centre. Raymond estimates it stands at eight by 14 feet.
“It really takes a village; the men’s shed, the public and the council... we really have that image of the community coming together to make this a reality,” she said.
Throughout the deliberations, there was one recurring amenity—which helped clinch the new location.
“The location we were looking at was always going to be close or include a washroom,” noted Raymond. “So we're going next to Blackbird Bakery, and there's a public washroom three steps from where we're going to be located in the bakery location."
Another benefit of being located beside the bakery? The connection to an important part of the town’s history.
“It's fun to wrap it in the history of Pemberton, like how the train came through,” said Raymond. “And we’re so close to the museum, which is one of those spots we want to send [visitors] to once we bring them into town.”
The new location marks a first for the centre; it’s now located within the Village proper, instead of across the highway. Raymond said she’s excited to have another opportunity to get people into Pemberton’s downtown area.
She said signage on the highway will be updated to reflect its new location, and additional signage is being considered to guide visitors through town towards the visitor centre.
Once open, the centre will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., from Thursday to Sunday. Raymond said hours may be adjusted as staff examines what works best for guests.
