Last week, tourism industry partners and stakeholders from around the province, including many from the Thompson Okanagan region and several TOTA team members, attended the BC Tourism & Hospitality Conference. The keynotes, panels and break out sessions were inspiring, insightful, and uplifting - exactly what is needed as we head down the road of recovery.
Thank you to the Tourism Industry Association of BC together with the BC Hotel Association for showing the leadership, bravery, and “grit” to organize the first in-person B.C. tourism industry conference in two years. Thank you, as well to the speakers for sharing their expertise and most importantly to everyone who made the event possible by attending.
BC Tourism & Hospitality Awards
During the conference Award Gala, outstanding representatives from industry were nominated and received awards for their experiences, services, and contributions (View the full list of nominees and award recipients).
The BC Tourism Resiliency Network, launched in April 2020 as a long-term resiliency program led by the British Columbia Regional Tourism Secretariat (BCRTS), providing B.C. tourism businesses with meaningful, one-on-one support to navigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, adapt, and work towards eventual recovery.
TOTA is proud to be part of this BCRTS partnership and thrilled to be recognized for supporting over 970 Thompson Okanagan tourism companies through the regional Tourism Resiliency Program, which continues to offer free one-on-one business support.
This program would not have been possible without funding from several sources including Western Economic Diversification (now known as PacifiCan), who were instrumental in this important work taking place over the past 24 months.
Kickstart the Comeback
In thoughtful and dynamic sessions, we heard from both the federal and provincial tourism ministers, several provincial ministries, industry association leaders, and a panel of B.C. transportation experts.
Each of the speakers made it clear that there is much work to be done as we kickstart the comeback. Fortunately, the B.C. tourism industry appears poised and ready to take on the challenges that lay ahead and are ready to help build thriving, sustainable tourism businesses that connect with visitors and residents in a meaningful way.
Hotel Association of Canada President & CEO Susie Grynol shared how the efforts of industry contacting Members of Parliament (MP) has been critical in their efforts to secure the support funds received in the past two years, such as CEWS, CERB, and the Tourism & Hospitality Recovery Program. These funds have provided relief for tourism businesses during an extremely challenging time.
However, this week the Tourism & Hospitality Recovery Program funds have been reduced by half and reports suggest that additional financial aid for tourism businesses is unlikely to be included in the Federal Budget.
TOTA, along with our regional counterparts, have sent letters to our MPs, stressing the urgency of continued support to ensure a strong tourism future. Everyone in the industry can assist and are strongly encouraged to reach out and send an email to your MP requesting additional support for tourism going forward. Let's make sure our collective voices are heard.
The Coalition of Hardest Hit Businesses and TOTA have created templates for you to quickly and easily send an email to your MP. Please click the links to send one or both of the emails:
In the coming weeks, we will share more insights and resources gained from the conference. We look forward to taking on and overcoming the challenges, and seeing the Thompson Okanagan tourism industry thrive.
Rapid antigen test kits are now available through community pharmacies to people aged 60 and older. Eligible individuals can pick up one kit containing five tests every 28 days from participating pharmacies at no cost. Individuals should pick up a test kit when they are asymptomatic to use at a future time when they have symptoms.
B.C. has launched a new three-year roadmap for rebuilding and revitalizing tourism, creating jobs and opportunities for people and communities in every part of the province.
The renewed Strategic Framework for Tourism responds to the call to action from the sector to support its recovery from COVID-19. It outlines a roadmap for a more resilient tourism sector by rebuilding to 2019 levels by 2024.
Requested by B.C.’s tourism industry leaders and the Tourism Task Force, the update of this framework focuses on provincial priorities of putting people first; lasting and meaningful reconciliation; equity and anti-racism; a better future through fighting climate change; and a strong, sustainable economy that works for everyone.
To continue to support tourism businesses in B.C. to come back stronger, the Province is investing $1 million toward investments in event-bid preparation and sponsorships to attract large-scale arts, culture, and sport events, and public conferences and exhibitions. Investing now in event programs will kick-start the events industry’s recovery and will position B.C. as a safe, world-class, event-hosting jurisdiction once again.
The Tourism Task Force emphasized how challenging it has been for industry to find the skilled workers it needs. This is why government is investing a further $2 million for post-secondary education and training to support B.C. students who enrol in tourism and hospitality certificate, diploma or degree programs, tourism-related apprenticeships, and trades training and development programs. This program, will prioritize students who are Indigenous, immigrant, or refugee applicants, as well as those from rural or remote locations, and people with accessibility needs.
As part of the Province’s continuing tourism recovery initiatives, government has committed $6 million this year through 2024 for Destination BC to market B.C. as a destination of choice in the highly competitive international market.
Welcome to Olive Us Oils & Vinegar Tasting Room on becoming a Biosphere Committed Company! Olive Us is a family run and operated sustainable business with three locations in the Okanagan. Sustainability is at the forefront of every decision, from compostable tasting cups, tasting rooms made of repurposed materials, and a bottle washing system to rescue their used bottles from recycling.
The British Columbia Hotel Association (BCHA) and Tourism Industry Association of BC (TIABC) announced the winners of the 2022 BC Tourism & Hospitality Awards. The winners were announced during the 2022 Awards Gala on March 10, presented by Indigenous Tourism BC.
The awards recognize and celebrate excellence within British Columbia's tourism & hospitality industry.
Congratulations to all the nominees and winners of the awards for remarkable leadership and outstanding contribution.
Congratulations to the following award winners, which operate in the Thompson Okanagan:
Accessibility Award: Kootenay Adaptive Sport Association (KASA) for a significant contribution towards making B.C. an inclusive and welcoming destination for everyone, that has built the capacity to support more accessible tourism & hospitality products, services and experiences, and provides an outstanding experience for guests with disabilities.
Employees First Award:Accent Inns & Hotel Zed for being employer who has upheld high standards of excellence in occupational health & safety, human resource management practices, and workplace culture.
Monica Dickinson has been named as the new CEO of Tourism Kamloops and will officially take on the leadership role March 15, 2022. Monica’s tourism experience runs deep within Kamloops and the Thompson Okanagan, beginning with the Bachelor of Tourism Management from Thompson Rivers University. She officially joined the Tourism Kamloops team in 2007 and has played a foundational role for the last 15 years. For the past six years, she has worked as Tourism Kamloops Director, Industry Relations and Communications.
Following November’s catastrophic flooding events, roughly 600 Merritt residents still haven't returned to 250 homes. The City of Merritt considered a variety of different types of homes and discovered that 3D printing is cost-effective and quick.
The next step is raising roughly $700,000 to purchase a $1.3 million 3D printer. The city is hoping to find grants, charities, and donations to get half of the printer’s cost. The cost will be matched by UBC as they have all the engineering and would like to perform case studies.
For free access to this webinar, register for the BCRTS subscription plan. You’ll also gain access to past webinar recordings and the Tourism Digital Marketing Certificate.
The School of Tourism and Hospitality Management at Royal Roads University is collecting data from women to understand how women in executive leadership roles, specifically in the hospitality and tourism sectors, have successfully obtained top positions. They invite women to describe experiences as a leader in the tourism and hospitality industry in a survey of 17 questions. It should take you approximately 10 minutes to complete.
Upon completing this research, the objective is to submit a peer-reviewed journal article to share with current industry professionals and graduate students looking for more guidance and successful leadership pathways.
Participate in the Business Names Renewal Consultation to share your thoughts on the potential for a required business name registration renewal process with the corporate registry.
The Corporate Registry holds information on all corporations, partnerships, and businesses. Initial research suggests that many business names registered with the Corporate Registry belong to non-operational businesses. Currently, there is no process to remove the names of these non-operational business entities from the Corporate Registry.
A renewal process would ensure that the Registry is up-to-date for people and businesses, and there is greater access to names for new businesses in B.C.
St. Patrick’s Day is annual celebration of Irish culture on March 17, featuring green outfits, decorations, beer, and food. Like other holidays, celebrations may result in consumerism and unnecessary waste.
As a Biosphere Destination, we encourage and challenge tourism professionals to make St. Patrick’s Day more eco-friendly and greener this year, and every year.
TOTA has compiled tips to make St. Patrick’s Day even greener with a few eco-friendly activities or actions.
The Rezgo booking platform has flexible tools designed to help manage your business efficiently, market more effectively, process payments faster and more securely, and make smart decisions informed by real-world data—no matter the scale or the volume of your business.
Customers can book on any device through your website or a convenient white-label service, and you can take secure payments online, in person, or over the phone with the payment gateway of choice. The system helps to build better relationships with your customers with in-depth reporting, email automation, comprehensive waivers, and verified reviews.
Rezgo has no monthly subscriptions, booking volume costs, or user account limits. The only cost is the payment fee for bookings, so you only pay when you’re doing business. The fee can be included in the transaction so customers cover the fee.
Rezgo is offering a discounted rate to Thompson Okanagan tourism businesses of 3.4% (-1.5% off listed price) for front-end online bookings. To receive the discount, tell the Rezgo sales/support team that you are a TOTA stakeholder.
Registration is now open for the Wines of BC Ambassador Program, a one-of-a-kind, exclusively B.C. focused series of educational courses designed to share what makes B.C. wine so unique, and worth getting in your glass.
Level 1: Introductionis an online certification designed for everyone making, growing, serving, or simply enjoying B.C. wine. Wine professionals can use promo code BCWINETRADE22 for a complimentary course.
Level 2: Intermediate is a more in-depth course offered in-person by a trained Ambassador Facilitator, and includes an educational tasting of B.C. wines alongside international benchmarks. This course will give you more in-depth knowledge and understanding of the regions, subregions, soils and wine laws that affect the production of BC wine. Highly recommended for wine professionals in the winery, retail, and restaurant setting.
The course will be hosted in Kelowna, Kamloops, and other B.C. communities.
The Government of Canada has launched the Canada Digital Adoption Program (CDAP) to help Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) realize their full potential by adopting digital technologies.
Announced in Budget 2021, the $4 billion program is an investment of $1.4 billion in grants and advisory services to SMEs from the Government of Canada and up to $2.6 billion in loans from the Business Development Bank of Canada to help businesses cover the costs of implementing new digital technologies.
The program provides funding and expertise to businesses, as well as training and work opportunities for young Canadians.
Businesses will be able to apply for two different kinds of support through the CDAP:
Stream 1: Grow Your Business Online, will help SMEs take advantage of e-commerce opportunities.
Stream 2: Boost Your Business Technology, will help businesses with the development and implementation of digital adoption strategies.
The go2HR job board is free for tourism and hospitality employers operating in British Columbia. Post jobs and hiring events to find quality employees in Accommodation, Food and Beverage Services, Recreation and Entertainment, Transportation, and Travel Services.
The go2HR Job Board receives 20,000 monthly visits from qualified candidates looking for front-line, supervisory, management or executive positions.
Okanagan College instructors are available to deliver virtual, one-hour individually tailored business counselling sessions on a variety of leadership soft skills, business administration, and hospitality topics.
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:
