Manic Monday | Not Just About Booking But Booking Different!
All of us in the tourism industry are well aware that over the past many years there has been tremendous growth in online booking sites. To varying degrees, whether you fully embrace the concept or not, these sites have become one of the mainstream shelves where the industry is able to sell tourism products and services.
Most recently we have begun working with the site BookDifferent.com, based in the Netherlands. This group, who has collaborated with Raptim Humanitarian Travel, is focused on connecting potential travellers with locations and accommodations that are committed to sustainable and responsible tourism development and delivery. With their bookings growing annually at exponential rates, they know that there is a new breed of traveller emerging who are careful about their choices whether on vacation or business trips.
BookDifferent has also partnered with Green Key International and the Global Sustainable Tourism Council to ensure clear and consistent global ratings and labelling of tourism products. Their vision is to "make the world green while you sleep," which aligns clearly with our region's sustainable and responsible tourism development and delivery values.
BookDifferent together with our team has created a section on their website that features our region and highlights the Thompson Okanagan's Biosphere Certification and our commitment to being a sustainable tourism destination. In addition, we are working with them to ensure that the Region’s stakeholders actively involved in the Biosphere Adhesion Committed Entity Program are featured and well represented on this booking platform by helping to upgrade their profile and sustainability ratings on the site.
Travel is changing, travellers are changing and booking different is one way of connecting to those changes.
Glenn Mandziuk, TOTA President & CEO
