Manic Monday | TOTA on the World Stage with the UNWTO

Last week, I had the honour to attend and represent the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) at the 64th Meeting of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Regional Commission for the Americas in Guatemala.

This meeting unites tourism ministers and organizational leaders from North, Central, and South America, and it was a pleasure to be asked to speak at the International Seminar on Destination Management - New Challenges, New Solutions.

I spoke alongside Humberto Rivas Ortega, Professor, School of Engineering in Management of Expeditions and Ecotourism, Chile, and Graciela Caffera, Representative del Este Convention&Visitors Bureau, Uruguay, on a panel moderated by Sandra Carvao, Chief, Market Intelligence and Competitiveness, UNWTO. The panel addressed Tourism Destination Governance - New Destination Management Organizations (DMOs), where we shared experiences of successful governance structures and had discussions around the new challenges and responsibilities of a DMO. Throughout the program, it was very encouraging that sustainability, accessibility, innovation, education, and over-tourism are key priorities as the tourism industry considers its future.

There were numerous highlights throughout the week; however,  the opportunity to discuss the Thompson Okanagans sustainability efforts with UNWTO Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili and share best practices with tourism leaders from countries around the globe was a tremendous privilege.

There will be some exciting announcements to watch for in the coming months between the UNTWO and the Thompson Okanagan region as we continue to advance our collective efforts in sustainability.

Glenn Mandziuk, TOTA President & CEO