Destination Development & Stewardship
Updates
Travel Penticton is looking for a Marketing Manager for a 12-15 month contract starting October 2024.
The BC Wildlife Park in Kamloops hosts educational YouTube series called "Conservation Minutes." This month's episode is on fire prevention.
Indigenous Tourism BC (ITBC) is looking for candidates for an Indigenous Tourism Specialist position.
Kelowna International Airport (YLW) will welcome 3 new routes in late 2024 and early 2025.
WestJet will connect Kelowna and Seattle with a new daily service starting in January 2025.
The DriveBC website is undergoing improvements, and people are invited to test the new version and provide feedback.
The BC wine industry welcomes the news that BC wineries can now ship directly to Alberta consumers, thanks to a new agreement between the provinces.
Organizations are invited to attend the FortisBC & GreenStep virtual sessions to learn more about the Energy-Saving Support for Small Businesses program.
Okanagan College’s Kelowna Campus is welcoming a new centre for food, wine, and tourism that will include modern teaching spaces, food labs, beverage research and development facilities, and common spaces.
Destination development case studies showcase the positive impact of tourism's social, cultural, and economic advantages through destination development initiatives.
The popular DriveBC website is being revamped and people are invited to provide feedback on the improvements.
Drivers use the site to plan safe and efficient trips, get the latest information on road incidents, construction and maintenance, and view hundreds of highway webcams. The new DriveBC will be easier to use, more reliable and more personalized, allowing drivers to focus on their routes.
Wine Growers British Columbia (WGBC) recently released its Fiscal 2025 Operational Plan. This year, the plan is focuses on five key Board-approved objectives:
Build a world-class brand for Wines of British Columbia
Position BC as a premier wine region with trade
Make BC wine country a benchmark for wine tourism
Strengthen wine industry leadership
Leverage government advocacy efforts
Destination Canada President and CEO Marsha Walden and The Honourable Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Minister of Tourism, launched the new tourism strategy at Rendez-vous Canada in Edmonton, titled "A World of Opportunity."
Wells Gray Tours, a leading tour operator with five offices in British Columbia, announced their annual donation of $50,000 to the BC Parks Foundation. This generous contribution will support the acquisition of 28 acres on Okanagan Lake and the expansion of Okanagan Lake Provincial Park.
Predator Ridge is bringing the Ritz-Carlton Residences to the Okanagan region in 2026. This is the first Ritz-Carlton standalone branded residential development in Western Canada.
The BC Hotel Association (BCHA) in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport, and the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness, has announced the development of the Emergency Management Central Booking Portal. This portal will enhance the booking efficiency for Emergency Support Services (ESS) evacuee support in B.C.
We are thrilled that Pacific Coastal Airlines has expanded their flight services between Vancouver International Airport South Terminal (YVR) and Penticton Regional Airport (YYF) for the upcoming Spring and Summer seasons.
Destination BC released a on report on the 2023 Resident Perceptions of BC’s Tourism Industry survey, launched in November 2023 to understand the perceptions BC residents have of the tourism industry on both community and provincial levels. The survey found that the majority of BC residents continue to value the impact that tourism has on their communities.
BC has implemented a suite of policy changes to enhance visitor experiences at wineries and other liquor-manufacturing sites. Improvements include:
Allowing people to sit and enjoy samples while on a guided tour
Allowing packaged liquor sales in more places on site, including tours
Allowing more flexibility around sampling so liquor manufacturers can customize sampling experiences for visitors; and
Allowing manufacturers to sell and promote their products in picnic areas and host visitors more effectively.
The Okanagan Basin Water Board (OBWB) has increased calls for action after the announcement of invasive mussels in a tributary to the Columbia River, which connects to the Okanagan. The OBWB began calling for a temporary moratorium on watercraft coming into BC. Support for the moratorium has been gathering steam with letters coming in from BC municipalities, chambers of commerce, TOTA, and others.
The Don't Move a Mussel campaign website has resources to learn more about risks and prevention, and to raise awareness.
Kelowna International Airport (YLW) will welcome the Sutton Place Hotel and a new parking structure next to the airport terminal.
Pacific Coastal Airlines has recently added additional flights to the Thompson Okanagan. The additional routes expand their services to every day of the week.
Through the BC Tourism Climate Resiliency Initiative (BCTCRI), BC's tourism industry can apply for sustainability adaptation planning support and micro-grants from Destination BC.
Three finalists who made winning pitches for the Thompson Nicola “Spark” Program were each awarded a $3,000 seed grant and mentorship to help them get started with their new tourism ideas.
Tasting the Okanagan Through the Ages is an event created through the South Okanagan Food & Drink Experience Development Program which occurred between September 2021 - January 2022 in partnership with TOTA, Destination BC, and the Culinary Tourism Alliance.
Join Chef Aman Dosanj of the Paisley Notebook pop-up series for an immersive dining experience on Covert Farm's 650-acre, fourth-generation farm. The event will guide guests through a multi-course food and wine paired sensory journey of our bountiful region.
The Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) is partnering with Okanagan College to offer the Tourism Leadership Essentials Program for Thompson Okanagan tourism professionals, free of charge through the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Resiliency Program, part of the BC Tourism Resiliency Network.
Held from April 12 to May 26 on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6 PM - 8 PM, the seven-part series consists of 2-hour online workshops, twice a week for seven weeks with Okanagan College tourism professors. Each part focuses on specific leadership skills required in today’s multi-faceted workplaces.
Due to an abundance of interest, applications are no longer being considered for this intake. Thompson Okanagan tourism industry professionals are invited to apply to be added to the waitlist for a future program series.