Manic Monday | Lately I have a new appreciation for farming...
As we grapple with Mother Nature and her most unusual weather patterns I recognize more than ever the correlation between tourism and farming. Ever dependent on the perfect conditions it seems that lately there is either too much rain, snow or cold closely replaced with too much heat, extreme heat. Winds wreaking havoc on the lakes, rivers and shorelines are followed by the complete absence of a breeze. So many of our tourism operators are at the mercy of weather conditions which can render ski hills devoid of snow or lakes devoid of boats. And like our farming community a bumper crop can quickly crumble based on weather and what looked like the "best season on record" can change in minutes with the closure of a road or even a bridge. As the saying goes..."men plan, God laughs"....
But ... like our agricultural friends when faced with adversity we pull together, we look out for each other and support each other through what ever means it takes. We pitch in, roll up our sleeves, help rebuild and continue to promote. As tourism operators we have chosen a lifestyle that comes with great highs and difficult lows, we are driven by appreciating what a privilege it is to welcome visitors, turn strangers into friends, provide experiences that will be remembered for a lifetime and find immense satisfaction in watching guests enjoy the fruits of our labour.
2017 is definitely serving up its share of challenges and uncertainty but collectively we are a strong and resilient community, passionate about what we do and what we offer. Now more than ever we need to continue to support each other’s efforts, promote positive messaging, offer up alternative activities to our guests and encourage visitors to explore more of what our diverse region has to offer. From festivals and special events to wine touring, hiking, cycling, golfing, fishing and the list goes on......find out what is going on in your community and surrounding area so that you and your teams can support tourism experiences and help ensure our visitors have an exceptional and remarkable visit to this region.
We are tourism farmers and we will do what it takes to make sure our entire crop grows!
Glenn Mandziuk, TOTA President & CEO
