Be one of the businesses we recommend
Vancouver Island Bucket List is a curated guide, not a directory of everything. We feature a limited number of businesses in each category and region and have been to the places we write about.
Over 250,000 people used the site last year to work out where to go and what to do on the Island. The businesses we feature are the ones those travellers find.
For tourism businesses
We write a custom page about your business, built from a 20 minute conversation with you, and we put it where travellers are already planning their trip. Your page is written to rank on Google and to be picked up by AI travel assistants like ChatGPT and Perplexity, which is a channel most businesses on the Island have no presence on at all.
Placement is limited by design. One slot per activity type per region, and a fixed cap on each restaurant and retail category. When a category is full, it is full.
We are not the volume channel. Facebook and Google will always win on raw clicks, and most of the businesses we feature run those too. What we do is put you on a short list that visitors trust, and that reputation keeps working every month it is there.
Send a few lines about your business and what you are hoping for, and I will tell you honestly whether we are a good match.
Email Steve about a featured listing, or call or text 236-508-4463 if that is easier.
43,000+ followers
Join us on Facebook
a month
Finding their next adventure
6,000+ followers
Join us on Instagram
1,500+ Newsletter Subscribers
Join the newsletter
For DMOs and chambers of commerce
The part a single region cannot do on its own is route visitors between regions. Someone reading about beaches near Nanaimo is planning a trip, not a stop, and while they are still deciding we can put your region in front of them. We are not only reaching people already headed your way. We are reaching people working out where on the Island to go.
From there we build the parts of a destination marketing program that usually stall out. Member directories, custom regional maps, landing pages, and co-branded itineraries, with click and traffic tracking wired in from the start so you can show your members exactly what they got.
The admin stays light on your end. We handle the build out, the onboarding and the writing, and the work is ongoing rather than a one-time build. Each year covers new experience pages, itineraries and maps for your region, features to the VIBL audience and newsletter, campaigns timed to the shoulder seasons regional funding is actually measured on, and quarterly reporting by member so the value is visible when renewals come around.
The Sooke Region Tourism Association is the first association we work with under contract, starting October 2026. Regional guidebook editions, seasonal campaigns and longer term hub partnerships are all on the table. Tell me what you are working on and where the gaps are.
Email Steve about a partnership, or call or text 236-508-4463.
Who we work with
We work with tourism-focused businesses across Vancouver Island. If a traveller can book it, taste it, or visit it, we can put it in front of them.
- Tours and activities
- Restaurants and cafes
- Hotels, inns and vacation rentals
- Attractions and museums
- Shops, galleries and markets
- Breweries, wineries and cideries
Not every business is a fit, and that is the point. If you are not sure where you land, ask.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the same as advertising on Vancouver Island Bucket List?
Not exactly. We don’t sell ad space. We write one page about your business, the same way we write about a trail or a beach, and place it where people are already planning their trip. It’s a featured recommendation, not a banner ad.How do I list my business or join Vancouver Island Bucket List?
Email us at steven@vibl.ca or text 236-508-4463 and we’ll set up a 20 minute conversation. If there’s an open slot in your category and region, we build your page from there.What does it cost to work with VIBL, or is there a membership fee?
We have packages for businesses of every size, from a single-operator tour to a multi-location resort. Pricing depends on your category and which package fits, so it’s easiest to talk it through directly. Get in touch and we’ll walk you through the options. There’s no obligation to ask.
Do you offer different membership or partnership levels?
Yes, packages vary by what’s included. Placement is limited by design, one slot per activity type per region, so availability depends on your category and where you’re located.Will my business show up on VIBL’s maps?
Featured businesses appear on the relevant VIBL maps for their region and category, alongside the custom page we build for you. It’s part of what a listing includes, not a separate add-on.
Who you would be working with
I am Steve. I live in Sooke, I run this site, and I have been to every place on it. I sat on the Sooke Region Tourism Association board from 2023 to 2026, President for one term and then Vice President, and I stepped down so Vancouver Island Bucket List could work with the association under contract. I built this site because trip planning for the Island was scattered across a dozen pages that contradicted each other.
You deal with me directly. No sales team, no account manager. I am here to make it easy for you. I do the writing, I do the editing, and I get you listed.
Email steven@vibl.ca with a few lines about your business and what you are hoping to get out of it, or call or text me at 236-508-4463.