Hospitality Professional Program to Support Okanagan Tourism Businesses through Additional Skilled Workers

The Tourism Resiliency Program (TRP) has now been in place for almost five months. Started as an initiative to assist stakeholders to navigate funding during the early days of the pandemic and to ensure their concerns were elevated to the government, the TRP has continued to grow and develop in scope. Today, over 780 stakeholders are engaged with TOTA’s TRP and our team continues to look for new ways to address the issues you are raising, and to source unique and innovative solutions where possible.

One message we have frequently heard is the desperate need for more skilled workers to assist the tourism industry on its road to recovery. While it will take a variety of initiatives to fully address this challenge, we are very pleased that the Province of British Columbia has announced just over $600,000 in funding for a new Hospitality Professional Program.

Based on identified needs within the hospitality sector, participants will be prepared for a variety of positions, including supervisory roles as well as training in computer software, marketing and sales, soft skills, industry certifications, HR/Management, project management, and accounting. The program includes 16 weeks of online training offered to eligible candidates through Okanagan College, further supported by 10 weeks of work experience with all costs covered.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many businesses within the tourism and hospitality sector to temporarily or permanently lay off employees, greatly impacting both the business and individuals. This program serves as an important opportunity in the rebuilding process and is another step in developing more resilience within the industry. We are proud to promote this valuable resource through our regional Tourism Resiliency Program.

For more information on participating in the program, please contact your local WorkBC Centre.

Glenn Mandziuk, TOTA President & CEO

Airline Industry Working Hard to Instill Confidence

The airline industry has been working tirelessly to instill confidence in travellers to book flights and once again travel by air.

We are fortunate that many airlines have indicated they see the Thompson Okanagan region as one of the first areas in Canada where air travel will resume more quickly than other locations. We have already seen increased capacity from Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton, and recently Air Canada reintroduce direct flights between Toronto and Kelowna, which other airlines are now looking to do. These are important routes for our region, however they will only continue if they are supported and the bookings are there.

Without question, it will take time before many people are comfortable flying and it is important that we help by providing information on the steps airlines and airports are taking in order to instill confidence in travellers.

Recently I received two videos, one from Air Canada and the other created by the Kelowna International Airport (YLW), outlining what to expect at airports and on flights and what each of them is respectively doing to ensure passengers’ safety and comfort. These videos assist in providing a thorough understanding of the protocols in place for flying during the COVID-19 pandemic and may help to alleviate some of the stress and anxiety that people are feeling.

I encourage you to take the time to watch these videos and, if you have the ability to do so, please share them on your own social channels.

The long term health of the airline industry is critical to tourism and we thank all of our airline and airport partners for the many steps they are taking to ensure the health and wellbeing of their guests, who ultimately become our guests.

Glenn Mandziuk, TOTA President & CEO

Make Sure You Have All the Facts

A lot has been written and discussed as it relates to the state of the Tourism Industry in British Columbia. Much has been misunderstood, inaccurately represented, or misleading. It is critical that we develop a shared understanding of the current facts.

The British Columbia Hotel Association (BCHA) together with the Tourism Industry Association of British Columbia (TIABC) are coming together to co-host a webinar to present detailed and accurate information on the present realities, challenges, and concerns faced by our tourism industry.

This presentation will provide clarity and important data, as well as outline the work these associations are doing to assist and steward the tourism industry to move forward. They will offer key messaging for the industry to better articulate and amplify the needs of our industry and will conclude with a Q&A session to answer any questions.

Tourism has been dramatically and negatively impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. While there are isolated stakeholders and locations in B.C. that have experienced an upturn in business over the summer, this is not widespread. More importantly, it does not negate the losses of the spring and the losses anticipated to continue into fall and winter.

The future of Tourism in British Columbia rests with all of us. This is our industry and it is our responsibility to ensure its long term viability for ourselves and those to come. One key component is to ensure we work collectively, speak knowledgeably, and present a unified voice.

Please make a point to attend this Webinar on September 2, 2020 at 1 p.m. Register below today and a zoom link with meeting details will be forwarded prior to the event.

Watch Recording

BC Tourism Resiliency Network

New Program to Support Tourism Industry

For most of our tourism industry, this is the 8th week of our provincial shut down as we all do our best to follow the direction of  Health Minister Adrian Dix and Dr. Bonnie Henry in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Over the initial few weeks, our team at the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) has been doing our best to reach out to personally connect with over 800 industry stakeholders to understand your issues and concerns and to feed those up daily to the Provincial and Federal Governments. Through these conversations with you, It has become clear that many stakeholders need support in navigating the various assistance programs that are available, where they are eligible, and what steps they need to take to obtain the many opportunities for relief or benefits.

Together with the British Columbia Regional Tourism Secretariat representing the 5 Regional Destination Management Organizations (RDMO) in the Province and our strong partners at the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, go2HR, Indigenous Tourism BC, Tourism Industry Association of BC, Community DMOs, and Destination BC, we are activating a new Tourism Program for the industry this week. This work will see our organization at TOTA pivoting our efforts to provide the one on one direct support we have heard industry asking for.

As part of the introduction to this initiative, TOTA will be hosting a Webinar TODAY, MONDAY, APRIL 27th at 2:00 p.m. that will provide tourism stakeholders in the Thompson Okanagan with information and details on how our team has been preparing to work to assist you and the next steps in how to participate in this new program.

REGISTER FOR today's informational TOTA Tourism Resiliency Webinar

On behalf of myself, our board of Directors, and our entire TOTA team I would like to take a moment to thank both the Provincial Minister, the Honourable Lisa Beare and Federal Minister, the Honourable Melanie Joly for their tireless efforts to find the relief assistance necessary to provide and protect our Tourism Industry today and for the future.

Glenn Mandziuk, TOTA President & CEO