AS the official destination marketing organization for the City of Surrey, British Columbia, Discover Surrey is diversifying its focus, continuing to promote and market the destination, while also collaborating with local businesses on the development of eight enhanced destination offerings.

Visitors to Surrey, BC will now be able to experience Surrey’s Signature Experiences- Explore. Taste. Connect.

Discover Surrey has collaborated with local independent businesses to create, activate, market, and promote local experiences, allowing visitors to more thoroughly enjoy the essence of the destination, from its flavours and cultures to its habitats and history.

For almost two years, the Discover Surrey team has been working with eight local independent businesses, supporting and funding the development and activation of new market-ready group tourism experiences for those who visit Surrey, BC.

With six distinct neighbourhoods and exciting urban activities with acres of rural beauty, Surrey is a diverse destination with endless activities for visitors. Building on this, Surrey’s Signature Experiences – Explore. Taste. Connect. will further enhance the Surrey visitor experience.

This activation marks a foundational shift for destination marketing organizations. From the traditional focus of primarily promoting and marketing destinations, to becoming actively involved in the development of those destination offerings,

Discover Surrey’s Marketing Director Jenny Mourad’s creative team has partnered with eight local businesses on creating or enhancing experiences available for visitors. The team collaborated with consultant Joe Veneto, an experienced contractor who works with destinations across the globe, to perfect the experiences.

The process took many months of collaboration to elevate, personalize, and produce a more thorough, organized, and guided experience, providing visitors with activities beyond the traditional destination experience. Each signature experience can be enjoyed throughout the year, during any season of travel, and will be available for booking directly through the businesses.

“This is an exciting time for Surrey as we are providing diverse and engaging experiences that suit all types of visitors, from families to couples or friends,” says Discover Surrey Marketing Director Jenny Mourad. “Thousands of Canadians are now choosing to travel within the country, and discovering Surrey BC’s new Signature Experiences is a perfect way to enjoy an unforgettable trip, while supporting Canadian.”

The initiative also supports BC independent businesses, ones that have fantastic experiences and stories, but have now also been provided with resources to activate experiences on a larger and more personalized level.

Given the rapid growth of the City of Surrey, BC’s fastest growing city, Discover Surrey has not only diversified the focus of traditional destination marketing, but the organization is also growing and expanding its presence. Having recently moved to its own Central Surrey location, they have also grown their team to enhance community engagement and creative destination marketing.

From food tours and interactive whisky tastings to Bollywood dancing, and guided birdwatching with ocean views, there are eight signature experiences available, starting on June 17, via Surrey’s Signature Experiences – Explore. Taste. Connect.

Step inside Mainland Whisky for an intimate tour where you will learn the four essential steps of whisky-making, taste four distinct styles, and discover how founder Steve Watts journeyed from crafting corn whisky on a South Texas grapefruit ranch to pioneering urban distilling in South Surrey. Along the way, you will dive into whisky education and explore innovative creations like the Time Machine series — redefining what whisky can be.

Led by local expert guide Kris Cu, embark on a journey to discover birds around Surrey. This experience is a perfect blend of nature, learning, conservation, and connection. The tour begins with a hands-on introduction to binoculars, so you will be ready to spot your first bird. You will also learn how to find birds in the wild using your eyes and ears and be introduced to various bird species and their unique adaptations, making identification easier and more exciting. You will be fluent in the language of birding by the end of the day while understanding both observing and protecting birds. Enjoy a complimentary local brew afterwards.

Join Food Network’s Is It Cake? baking star Jujhar Mann of Surrey’s Mann and Co. Bakeshop for a live demonstration where Jujhar will show how to decorate cupcakes using professional piping techniques. Each guest will receive six blank cupcakes, premium piping bags filled with buttercream, and curated toppings to bring their creations to life. Guests will be guided step-by-step in a fun and approachable way. The experience is filled with photo moments and plenty of personal touches. Everyone will leave with their own decorated cupcakes in a take-home box, along with new skills and great memories.

Step into the fascinating world of honeybees with the Honeybee Centre. Your visit begins with a buzz-worthy intro to honeybees—a hands-on look at the inner workings of a hive, and a glimpse into the sweet story of how the Honeybee Centre came to be.

Depending on the season, you will enjoy one of two unique, seasonal experiences:

– Spring and Summer: Hive Tour
Join an expert beekeeper to safely open a live beehive. Watch the bees at work and get a rare, up-close look at how honey is made. It’s a thrilling, educational encounter you will not forget.

– Fall and Winter: Beeswax Creations

Get creative and cozy with an engaging candle-making session using real beeswax. You will leave with a custom creation—and a new appreciation for the incredible work that goes into every drop of beeswax.

This immersive experience invites guests to explore the essence of BC wine through a guided vineyard tour, a seasonal storytelling video, an interactive wine tasting demonstration and exercise, and a curated wine tasting with expert and food pairing. The journey begins with a guided walking tour through the vineyard, where guests will learn about the unique terroir and sustainable viticulture practices. A captivating short video will highlight the vineyard’s transformation throughout the four seasons, highlighting the dedication behind each vintage. The experience continues with an interactive tasting demonstration designed to enhance wine appreciation techniques, followed by a curated wine and food pairing session to deepen guests’ sensory understanding.

Experience instant calm and relaxation during this sensory sound journey. Prepare for a new level of calm and relaxation starting with a full body grounding bowl meditation, followed by an immersive sonic energy attunement with Solfeggio-tuned crystal singing bowls. Choose from a collection of international instruments from traditional Himalayan singing bowls, crystal singing bowls, gongs, energy chimes, flutes, drums and more. Expect deep rest, energetic reset, and a heart-centred experience.

Taste a culinary journey along the Surrey Spice Trail, exploring the flavours and discovering the stories of four unique restaurants representing different cuisines along the historic Spice Route. Meet the families behind the restaurants and hear their stories of immigration, dreams, culture, and tradition. Taste dishes, enjoy a flight of mocktails, and each location will share its culture’s feature spice while teaching the history of spices on the ancient Spice Route.

At The Bollywood Dance Experience, participants will go on a journey of Bollywood Dance. This participatory dance program will educate about the history of Bollywood films, music, dance, stars and much more. Participants will groove to the biggest Bollywood dance hits and learn the moves made famous by Bollywood stars from the sixties to the current trending hits. While learning energetic dance moves to a trending Bollywood hit and performing to the camera, guests will leave feeling like Bollywood dancing stars! This experience aims to educate, entertain, and empower.