CUBWAVE Journal
From Fridge Magnets to the Visitor Economy: A Conversation with BC's Tourism Minister
CUBWAVE shares its approach to culturally inspired souvenirs and visitor experiences in a conversation with BC Tourism Minister Anne Kang.
Recently, CUBWAVE's co-founder had the opportunity to take part in an official tourism promotion activity in British Columbia and speak in person with the Honourable Anne Kang, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport.
Drawing on our experience in the tourism industry, our co-founder shared what we have learned while exploring how culturally inspired products can enhance the visitor's shopping experience. We also presented two representative product categories that we have introduced to the Canadian market: metal magnets with flowing sand and 3D paper-cut notebooks.
As one of the teams that began introducing and systematically exploring these categories locally at an early stage, CUBWAVE has seen its maple-leaf and cherry-blossom flowing-sand magnets, Vancouver skyline 3D paper-cut notebooks and other pieces gradually become popular choices among visitors. In our experience, these products have also helped extend the shopping journey during a trip and create more opportunities for retail purchases at the destination. This work aligns with BC's current focus on the visitor economy and increasing spending per visitor.
We also shared our team's previous experience working with the Palace Museum and provincial and municipal museums in Asia, alongside our ongoing exploration of local cultural content in BC. We believe that bringing cultural content and visitor spending together can both add value to a product and offer a meaningful way to share local culture with the wider world.
For us, this exchange was more than an opportunity to present our work. It reaffirmed our direction: to contribute to the broader tourism industry through souvenirs that express the culture of a place, supporting destination branding and enriching the visitor experience.
We will continue exploring the intersection of culture, tourism and consumer experiences, developing products with a stronger sense of place and the ability to connect with people across cultures.