Manic Monday | Sustainability starts with every individual
Creating a sustainable tourism destination begins with a commitment by each and every community and stakeholder in the region. As I have noted before, the work that was done leading up to the Biosphere Responsible Tourism designation for the Thompson Okanagan achieved in early November was just the beginning of an exciting journey that we believe will have wide-spread implications on our long-term successful development as a tourism destination. Those opportunities will begin to be realized as early as this year!
Currently, I am in Madrid, Spain attending and presenting to a worldwide conference on Sustainability highlighting the Thompson Okanagan Region and our focus on this critical issue. This opportunity puts our area of British Columbia and Canada front and centre on the world stage and assists us in bringing forward our message regarding the right tourist at the right time in the right place. It also enables us to connect with other tourism destinations who have learned how best to engage in regional sustainability practices.
Also, this month in Victoria for the first time there is an Impact Conference being held which will bring together government officials, business leaders, special interest groups, tourism organizations, and stakeholders to discuss the issues around climate change, floods, fires, severe winter and ultimately the long-term sustainability of the tourism industry. If you are to attend we encourage you to register for this event.
Finally, in the coming weeks, you will start to see announcements from our TOTA team on how you and your business can take an active role in developing your business in a way that is responsible and sustainable.
This is a team event and together we can make a difference. Sustainability starts with each of us and every action small and large contributing to an enormous change.
We look forward to an exciting year of change in 2018 and working closely with our DMO partners creating a road map that will ensure we all see a healthy and vibrant tourism industry for the long term.
Glenn Mandziuk, TOTA President & CEO
