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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.

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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

 


 

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This Too Will End

History Assures Us This Too Will End

It is Easter Monday and no matter how you might normally celebrate this holiday weekend, whatever your beliefs, rituals or plans most of us have had to find alternatives to long-standing traditions.

Travel is at a standstill, we are not visiting family or friends, gatherings whether in a formal church setting or simply to hunt for those elusive Easter eggs have been paused for this moment in time.

In many ways, however, this is what Easter historically represents. Each one of us is sacrificing our own freedoms, giving up things we love and staying close to home in an effort to protect ourselves and importantly the lives of those around us. These past few weeks and certainly during this holiday weekend we are altering how we experience important moments and activities, large and small so that we all might enjoy them again in the future.

It seems an impossible task at times, more than anyone can handle and we are all struggling under the weight of the burden; be it financial, mental, emotional or all of these. But history, assures us that this too will end and soon there will be better days. A concept that is not so easy to believe when you are in the thick of the battle.

From myself, our team at TOTA, and our entire Board of Directors, we wish you health and safety in the days and weeks to come. It is going to be a long road to recovery but there will be much to celebrate when we see the results of our collective efforts.

Take care of yourself and those around you and thank you from all of us for staying home, we look forward to welcoming visitors and guests back to our region and our businesses just as soon as it is possible.

Glenn Mandziuk, TOTA President & CEO

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In Challenging Times We Pivot

For every one of us, no matter where we live or what industry we are working in, there is tremendous anxiety as we navigate this current and developing pandemic situation. Business losses are mounting daily, while people's livelihoods, savings, and futures are all in question. We are worried about our financial health, personal health, mental health and that of those around us.

This is a time where it is easy, even somewhat impossible not to find ourselves locked in our own thoughts, frozen by the situation and as a result often unable to move forward in any direction.  But this is the very time when we must dig deep and find the mental fortitude to pivot our thinking and challenge ourselves on what is possible.

We have already seen many adaptations with restaurants, bars, wineries, breweries offering curbside and home delivery; hotels providing emergency shelter to front line works and those that are self-isolating,  yoga studies providing online classes, guide outfitters offering training for when the time comes that we are back outside and spas providing online health tips, to name but a few. This is a time to turn your business model upside down, consider retooling, redirecting skills, tapping into available training and finding ways to provide your services in new and unique ways.

The team at TOTA has been reaching out to connect with many of you and want to continue to do this in the coming weeks. If you have not heard from one of us and would like to please email us at recovery@totabc.com. In the meantime, we are currently pivoting our business and working closely with the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture as well as other Tourism agencies to connect you with the relief programs that have been announced or are coming shortly. Watch for more on this early this week. We have heard your comments and questions and know that you need help in understanding what is available and we are poised to make that happen.

How business is done and how it will continue in the future is changing right before our eyes and each of us needs to evaluate our priories and activities both professionally and personally to adapt to what is being thrust upon us. One thing that most people are agreed upon, when this is behind us there will be a new normal. How we have lived, compared to how we will live is unquestionably changed forever.

Glenn Mandziuk
President and CEO

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