hello@kootenaymade.ca
Castlegar, BC. Serving the Kootenays and beyond.
8 min
Key takeaways
- HelloBC.com now forwards to SuperNaturalBC.com, Destination BC’s consumer travel site (checked September 2026).
- Its business listings are pulled from Tripadvisor, so your Tripadvisor listing is the source of what visitors see.
- The steps: claim your Tripadvisor listing, register with Destination BC, and let Destination BC connect the two.
- Registering with Kootenay Rockies Tourism is free and puts you on KootenayRockies.com.
- Town tourism offices in Nelson, Castlegar, Rossland and Trail each run their own listings. Nelson Kootenay Lake Tourism charges no membership fee.
On this page
How do you get listed on HelloBC?
HelloBC is now SuperNaturalBC.com, and its business listings come from Tripadvisor. To get listed, claim or create your Tripadvisor listing, register with Destination BC through its Tourism Business Portal, and let Destination BC connect the two. Then register free with Kootenay Rockies Tourism and your town’s tourism office.
I read every step below on the organizations’ own pages on September 23, 2026. Kootenay Rockies Tourism publishes the clearest version of the provincial steps, so I follow its order here.
- 01Create or claim your business on Tripadvisor. The provincial site pulls its business listings from Tripadvisor, so this listing is the source.
- 02Write your own description on Tripadvisor. If you leave it blank, a traveller can write one for you.
- 03Register with Destination BC through its Tourism Business Portal. Destination BC’s 2021 note says to allow up to three business days for access.
- 04Once your Tripadvisor listing is approved, Destination BC connects your portal contact to it. Kootenay Rockies Tourism lists this as the final step.
- 05Search SuperNaturalBC.com for your business name to check the listing, then follow its link back to your own website.
One thing I could not confirm is which business types qualify. I found no current list of eligible types on a readable Destination BC page in September 2026, so I will not guess. If you run a restaurant or a vacation rental, ask Destination BC or Kootenay Rockies Tourism before you start.
What happened to HelloBC?
The address still works. In September 2026, typing hellobc.com lands you on SuperNaturalBC.com. Destination BC now calls SuperNaturalBC.com its consumer website. The listings behind it still come from Tripadvisor, so an owner who set up a HelloBC listing years ago does not need to start over.
Some Destination BC pages still say HelloBC, and some say SuperNaturalBC. They mean the same site. Search both names when you check your listing, because old links on other sites still point at the HelloBC address.
What does Kootenay Rockies Tourism offer tourism partners?
Kootenay Rockies Tourism offers a free registration that puts your business on the regional travel site. Kootenay Rockies Tourism is one of British Columbia’s five official regional destination marketing organizations. It has run since 1978 and says it represents over 850 tourism businesses. Registered partners appear on KootenayRockies.com at no cost.
Registration is a single form on its website. It asks for your contact details, your business type, a short description, and whether you already have a listing on SuperNaturalBC.com. The regional office then includes you in its marketing of the whole region. As of September 2026, its marketing page lists four places a partner can show up.
- KootenayRockies.com
- The regional travel site. Registered partners get a partner page, festival and event listings, and travel offers, at no cost. Travel offers can be picked up for its consumer newsletter.
- PowderHighway.com
- The regional winter site for resorts, cat-skiing, heli-skiing and backcountry lodges. It fits a winter operator along the Powder Highway.
- BCRailTrails.com
- Free listings with a photo, phone, email and web link. Kootenay Rockies Tourism names bike rentals, bike service, gear sales, packagers and major attractions along a rail trail.
- Marketing campaigns
- Shared campaigns offered to registered partners on the regional and provincial travel sites. These are optional extras on top of the free listing.
Which town tourism offices list Kootenay businesses?
Most Kootenay towns have their own tourism office or visitor centre, and each one runs things its own way. Here is what four of them publish, read in September 2026. If your town is not here, call your visitor centre and ask how businesses get onto its site.
- Nelson Kootenay Lake Tourism
- Offers a non-fee membership to every tourism-related business in its region. Members get a listing on its website, a listing on its reservation system, and the option to advertise in its Travel Book. Members in good standing meet four requirements: a link to its site from yours, a few shared or tagged posts a year, handing out the Travel Book and maps, and inclusive conduct.
- Destination Castlegar
- Runs a public business directory sorted by category, from accommodations to heli-ski operators. The site does not publish how businesses get added, so use its contact form and ask.
- Tourism Rossland
- The non-profit destination marketing organization for Rossland, founded in 2007. Its site carries business listing pages for local operators. It does not publish a sign-up process, so contact the office directly.
- Trail
- The Trail Visitor Centre at the Trail Riverfront Centre is part of Destination BC’s Visitor Services network. It stocks local, regional and provincial travel information, so a rack card or a conversation there reaches visitors in person.
Chambers of commerce keep their own member directories too. Those are a separate question from tourism listings, and the guide to Kootenay business directories covers which ones earn the time.
What should your Tripadvisor listing say before it feeds the provincial site?
Whatever you write on Tripadvisor is what the provincial site shows. Write the description yourself, keep it short, and lead with what makes the place worth the drive. Destination BC’s own advice is to be clear, direct and concise, because travellers compare several listings at once.
- Say what you are and where you are in the first sentence. A traveller skims several listings at once.
- Lead with the thing that makes you different from the business down the road.
- Name nearby things to do. A lodge on Kootenay Lake is easier to book when the visitor can picture the trip around it.
- Say who it suits: kids, groups, seniors, or people with disabilities. Destination BC calls these important selling features.
- Change the description when your season changes. A winter listing that still talks about the beach loses the booking.
- Leave out the sales pitch. Destination BC’s advice is to skip ad copy and describe the place.
Destination BC also lets you add accessibility details to your listing, sorted into five groups: mobility, vision, hearing, cognitive and sensory, and general. Its 2021 note says to tick only what your business meets in full. A traveller who uses a wheelchair checks that before anything else.
The listing is the introduction. The website is where the visitor decides.
Is a HelloBC listing worth the time for a small tourism business?
Yes, because it is free and takes an afternoon. A listing will not book rooms by itself. It puts your name where trip planners already look, then sends them to your website. The value depends on what that website does next.
Visitors plan a Kootenay trip weeks ahead. They compare routes, prices and reviews before they know any business by name. A provincial or regional listing catches them early in that window. How Kootenay tourism businesses win visitors walks through what they need answered once they click.
Keep your details the same everywhere. Your name, phone number, hours and booking link should match on Tripadvisor, your Google profile, the regional site and your own website. A visitor who finds two phone numbers trusts neither.
What should you do after the listings are live?
Check each one from a phone, the way a visitor would. Search your business name on SuperNaturalBC.com and KootenayRockies.com. Then follow the link to your own site and see how many taps it takes to book or call.
If the link lands on a slow home page with no dates, prices or booking button, the listing did its job and the website dropped the visitor. A lodge, cabin or inn needs its rooms and rates one tap away, which is what websites for Kootenay lodges and hotels are built around. Put a reminder in your calendar each spring and fall to update the Tripadvisor description for the season.
Sources and further reading
- Destination BC: Promoting your product or business on Tripadvisor
Read September 23, 2026. States that SuperNaturalBC.com business listings are pulled in from Tripadvisor, and gives the description advice this guide follows.
- Destination BC: Accessibility features for HelloBC listings
Posted September 29, 2021, read September 23, 2026. Listings are complimentary, managed in the Tourism Business Portal, with up to three business days for new access.
- Destination BC: List your event on SuperNaturalBC.com
Posted April 15, 2026. Names SuperNaturalBC.com as Destination BC’s consumer website and explains free event listings.
- Kootenay Rockies Tourism: Marketing opportunities
Read September 23, 2026. The steps to appear on SuperNaturalBC.com, plus KootenayRockies.com, PowderHighway.com and BCRailTrails.com listings.
- Kootenay Rockies Tourism: Partner registration
Read September 23, 2026. States that registering with Kootenay Rockies Tourism is free.
- Nelson Kootenay Lake Tourism: Partner with us
Read September 23, 2026. A non-fee membership for tourism-related businesses in its region, with four requirements and a website listing.
- Destination Castlegar: Business directory
Read September 23, 2026. A public directory of Castlegar businesses by category. No listing process is published on the site.
- Tourism Rossland: About
Read September 23, 2026. The non-profit destination marketing organization for Rossland, founded in 2007.
- City of Trail: Tourism and Visitor Centre
Read September 23, 2026. The Trail Visitor Centre operates within Destination BC’s Visitor Services network.
Frequently asked questions
Does it cost anything to be listed on HelloBC or SuperNaturalBC?
No. Destination BC describes its business listings as complimentary, and Kootenay Rockies Tourism says registering with it is free, both checked September 2026. Paid marketing campaigns exist on top, and they are optional.
Is HelloBC the same as SuperNaturalBC.com?
For a business owner, yes. In September 2026, hellobc.com forwards to SuperNaturalBC.com, and Destination BC calls SuperNaturalBC.com its consumer website. Its business listings still come from Tripadvisor, so the steps have not changed.
Do I need a Tripadvisor listing to appear on the provincial site?
Yes. Destination BC says the site pulls business listings from Tripadvisor. Kootenay Rockies Tourism lists the steps as a Tripadvisor listing first, then a Destination BC registration, then Destination BC connecting the two.
Can every kind of business get a listing?
I could not find the current list of eligible business types on a live Destination BC page in September 2026. Ask Destination BC or Kootenay Rockies Tourism before you spend time on it, especially if you run a restaurant or a vacation rental.
How long does it take to show up?
Plan for a couple of weeks. Destination BC’s 2021 note says to allow up to three business days for portal access. Its Tripadvisor article says Tripadvisor editors typically answer a new description within five business days. Then the connection is made by Destination BC’s team.
Related pages
- Tourism and resort websites
- Lodging and hotel websites
- Adventure operator websites
- Web design across the West Kootenay
- Web design across the East Kootenay
Kootenay Made Digital
I build websites, local presence, and calm AI setups for Kootenay small businesses. Plain language, published prices, and clear work that makes you easier to find and easier to choose.
