Glenn Mandziuk, former President and CEO of the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA), has been announced as the new CEO of the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance based in London, England.
“Building a sustainable and responsible tourism destination was foundational to the work undertaken by Glenn during his tenure at TOTA and this new role is in perfect alignment for his vision and passion in this area,” said Michael J. Ballingall, TOTA Board Chair. "On behalf of the board and our team at TOTA, we extend our congratulations to Glenn on this new role and wish him every success going forward."
The organization was originally founded in 1992 as the International Hotels Environment Initiative and part of the Prince of Wales Charities group with His Royal Highness as President.
Following a rapid period of growth, the organization became an independent charity and united under the name Sustainable Hospitality Alliance in 2020.
Members are made up of representatives from the global hotel industry, including 35,000 properties and 14 leading hotel companies, representing 30% of the world's hotel rooms or approximately 5.5 million rooms.
Addressing issues related to human rights, youth employment, climate action, and water stewardship, the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance is taking collective action and responsibility on behalf of the tourism industry to ensure destinations and communities are supported now and into the future.
The Province announced gyms and fitness centres across B.C. will be allowed to start gradually reopening. Other previous restrictions, including the ban on gatherings like weddings and funerals, are extended until February 16. Bars, nightclubs, and lounges must also stay closed.
On Wednesday, Jan. 19, the Coquihalla Highway (Highway 5) reopened to regular vehicle traffic between Hope and Merritt. This is a more convenient route for people who need to travel between the Lower Mainland and the Interior, and is another significant milestone in the province’s recovery from the devastating storms.
Travel-pattern changes and reduced speed limits mean the trip between Hope and Merritt will take about 45 minutes longer than normal. This is a high-mountain route that can experience adverse weather and rapidly changing conditions that could require closure with minimal notice. There will continue to be increased enforcement on this route to ensure drivers are obeying the traffic laws and driving according to conditions.
Electric-vehicle (EV) charging stations at Britton Creek are still out of operation. The nearest EV charging stations are in Hope and Merritt.
In the Fraser Canyon, Highway 1 has partially reopened from Kanaka Bar south of Lytton to Spences Bridge. Drivers can expect delays on this section of Highway 1. Highway 1 between Kanaka Bar and Hope remains closed.
Through the expertise that the Eco Efficiency Program provided to the Kelowna Yacht Club, the recommendations were implemented through 2021. Kelowna Yacht Club’s continued efforts by creating three in-house sustainability programs, development of an environmental team and sustainability policy, and executed an Energy Campaign, awarded them as the 2021 Eco Efficiency Excellence Award Winner.
Best Western Plus Kamloops Hotel’s Tim Rodgers, has been awarded the 2021 Pioneer Award! Through his consistent implementation of sustainability practices provides the inspiring leadership of solutions to improve the Thompson Okanagan.
Lynx Air (Lynx) will begin service for YLW Kelowna International Airport in April 2022 with non-stop service to Calgary and Vancouver twice a week on a fleet of brand-new Boeing 737 aircraft. By May, Lynx will be operating 76 flights per week and will continue to add destinations and routes in the summer.
Special launch fares are offered from $39 one-way (for a limited time).
Flights are now available for booking at FlyLynx.com →
The Tourism Sentiment Index has released a report, Leading Places: The 100 Most Loved Destinations Around the World for 2021. For the first time ever, destinations around the world have been ranked to uncover those that are truly most loved, according to the Tourism Sentiment Score. To produce the rankings, Tourism Sentiment Index conducted a study of a massive volume of online data – more than 1.6 billion online conversations and content pieces publicly available about 21,330 global destinations.
In the Thompson Okanagan, the following destinations were in the Top 100:
96. Kelowna
99. Shuswap
Congratulations to Kelowna and the Shuswap for earning some of the world's most positive feedback and content in 2021.
The annual Canadian Council of Tourism Ministers (CCTM) meeting was held on January 20, 2022 to provide a forum for federal, provincial, and territorial tourism ministers to agree on common objectives to pursue. They also reaffirmed the need for continued collaboration and support for the sector through the pandemic and towards recovery. Throughout the meeting, the ministers discussed the current context and the main challenges affecting the recovery of the tourism sector, both in the short and long term, including uncertainty surrounding the trajectory of the pandemic, the level of tourism demand, workforce challenges, and destination development.
Congratulations to the Hon. Melanie Mark on being appointed as co-chair of the committee, along with federal Tourism Minister Randy Boissonnault.
To acknowledge Tourism Kelowna's dedication to both the local community and to visitors from outside of the Central Okanagan, Tourism Kelowna has changed the name of the Visitor Experience department to Community & Visitor Engagement.
The shift towards this new name has happened naturally, particularly since the 2018 opening of the Kelowna Visitor Centre (KVC), which is now a community hub providing valuable services to both residents and visitors.
During the past year, local traffic to the KVC was the highest ever, with 64% of traffic being made up of residents, an increase from 52% in 2020. The KVC's reputation is a community-shared value and hub for the Central Okanagan.
The Tourism Accommodation and Commercial Recreation Relief Fund is a response to the Tourism Task Force’s recommendation to provide relief from fixed costs like property taxes, BC Hydro fees, and Crown tenure and park permit fees.
One-time grants to offset certain fixed costs are available for:
Large accommodation providers
Tourism-based commercial recreation businesses operating on Crown land or in BC Parks
The Province of B.C. has introduced the COVID-19 Closure Relief Grant aimed at assisting B.C. businesses that were mandated to temporarily shut down through public health orders because of the surge in COVID-19 cases under the December 22, 2021 and/or January 18, 2022 Provincial Health Officer orders.
People receiving Emergency Support Services due to this fall’s flooding will receive personalized supports delivered by the Canadian Red Cross, the provincial government announced. Starting on Feb. 1 the federal and provincial governments will provide customized recovery support that includes interim housing and basic needs assistance.
The Red Cross is reaching out to those currently receiving Emergency Support Services and those who have indicated they would like to discuss recovery supports.
The BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) has guidance for what to do in various scenarios if someone has COVID or has been in contact with COVID. As of January 2022, the guidance is:
If tested positive:
If fully vaccinated, self-isolate for at least 5 days since the start of symptoms. Wear a mask even in settings where a mask isn’t required and avoid higher risk settings, such as long term care facilities and gatherings, for another 5 days after ending isolation.
If unvaccinated or partially vaccinated, self-isolate for at least 10 days since the start of symptoms.
If not better after the 5 or 10 days, keep self-isolating until feeling better and fever is gone (without taking medicine that reduces fever).
If you feel worse, call 8-1-1 or your medical care provider.
Public health will let you know if you need to self-isolate for more than 10 days.
If you tested negative:
Self-isolate until symptoms improve and you feel well enough to return to regular activities.
If there's a fever, stay home until the fever is gone (without taking medicine that reduces fever).
Close contacts: If you were identified as a close contact and need to self-isolate, you still need to complete your self-isolation.
The United Nations (UN) has released the 2022 World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) Report. According to the report, the global economic recovery is facing significant headwinds amid new waves of COVID-19 infections, persistent labour market challenges, lingering supply-chain challenges, and rising inflationary pressures.
Tourism recovery is expected to drive growth in every world region. UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “The sudden halt in international tourism caused by the pandemic has emphasized the sector’s importance to both national economies and individual livelihoods. The flagship UN report makes use of UNWTO data and analysis to assess the cost of declining tourism and illustrates just how important restarting tourism will be in 2022 and beyond.”
Further analysing the sector’s role in economic recovery, the UN report notes that many destinations, in particular tourism-dependent countries, will need to diversify their tourism throughout 2022 and beyond.
Again drawing on UNWTO analysis, the publication shows how many destinations are developing domestic and rural tourism to help local economies in rural and depressed areas to boost job creation and protect natural resources and cultural heritage, while at the same time empowering women, youth, and indigenous peoples.
Global tourism experienced a four per cent upturn in 2021 when compared to the prior year, with a total of 415 million international trips made.
However, international tourist arrivals (overnight visitors) were still 72 per cent below the pre-pandemic year of 2019, according to preliminary estimates by UNWTO. This follows on from 2020, the worst year on record for tourism, when international arrivals decreased by 73 per cent.
Europe and the Americas recorded the strongest results in 2021 compared to 2020 (up by 19 and 17 per cent respectively), but still both 63 per cent below pre-pandemic levels.
The Conference Board of Canada has released an Impact Paper, Fuelling 2050: The Road Forward, about Canada’s aspirations for net-zero GHG emissions and an achievable pathway for the transportation sector.
Quini captures consumer opinion about important product concerns or industry issues. In a wine tasting in Vancouver this past December, Quini gauged consumer interest in visiting the Okanagan Valley in 2022, drinker general opinion of Okanagan wines, and B.C. wine brand awareness and recall.
It seems like the majority of consumers who go wine tasting in the Okanagan leave with a positive impression and most will also plan to return at some point.
The TOTA team is here to help with the challenges your business is facing. As part of TOTA's Tourism Resiliency Program tourism companies can access the following free supports:
Over the past two years, Tolko has been engaged in the safe and orderly decommissioning work for the Kelowna Mill Site and, more recently, joined in preliminary discussions with the City of Kelowna regarding redevelopment of the property and the opportunity to work with the community to create the vision and plan that will guide that process.
The City of Kelowna is launching a public process for the North End Plan. At the same time, the Mill Site Planning Team will undertake a separate community planning process to create the Mill Site Redevelopment Plan. This process will be integrated with the community’s vision and aspirations for the North End.
The planning team is looking for community input to inspire the vision and objectives for the conceptual design of the site. The community is invited to contribute to crafting a vision for this new neighbourhood an interactive virtual workshop to help us envision the mill site.
There are currently three workshop dates to choose from:
Over recent years, many have experienced the pain that comes with loss as we've been forced to say goodbye to some of our most beloved colleagues and industry friends. The absence has been felt across our sector, and due to restrictions on gatherings and events caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us have not been able to celebrate their lives and achievements as we once would have.
This year's BC Tourism & Hospitality Conference will be paying respects through an "In Memoriam" slideshow tribute that honours all of those who have passed since we last met in person. We need your help to ensure that each of our industry friends are included.
ITBC is looking for Indigenous Knowledge Keepers to add to a list of reliable resources to share with partners and for invitations to participate in a variety of upcoming projects.
Indigenous Knowledge Keepers are invited to apply, including Elders, language speakers, storytellers, dancers, singers, drummers, land tour guides, artists, or plant medicine enthusiasts.
If your business and/or community works with an Indigenous Knowledge Keeper, please share this opportunity with them so they can help to increase global exposure for Indigenous tourism operation.
Research data created by Environics Analytics to help the travel and tourism industry understand the impact of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic as it relates to Domestic Overnight Visitors within Canada.
Custom reports from the BC Regional Tourism Secretariat (BCRTS) research program and highlights from a variety of sources including Destination Canada, Destination BC, Travel and Tourism Research Association, Destination Analysts, UNWTO, BCHA/STR, Destination Think, and Environics Analytics.
