Featured News

Okanagan Crush Pad Switches to 100% Renewable Natural Gas

In an industry leading shift towards a more sustainable future, Summerland’s Okanagan Crush Pad Winery, parent company to Haywire and Garnet Valley Ranch Winery, has joined forces with TOTA and FortisBC to transition to 100% Renewable Natural Gas (RNG).

Video Tour of Kelowna Biogas Plant & RNG Production

Join Mike Overend, TOTA Director of Destination Development and Stewardship, on a tour of the FortisBC Kelowna Biogas Plant. Mike shares how naturally occurring gasses from waste at the Kelowna Glenmore Landfill are captured and transformed into RNG.

Residents and businesses across the Thompson Okanagan have the opportunity to reduce their carbon emissions by making the switch to RNG.

Learn more and take the survey for a chance to win an Okanagan getaway

Industry Resources

Destination BC Learning Centre

Want to use research and analytics to gain insights into your visitors and measure your marketing efforts? The Destination BC Learning Centre has the following articles to guide tourism businesses:

⭐ Everything You Need to Know About Google Analytics GA4
⭐ Using Google Analytics to Understand Your Audience
⭐ Getting Started with Google Analytics and Social Media Metrics

❄️ Winter Communications Planning: Destination BC has updated the Winter Emergency Messaging Guidance document with official emergency information resources, as well as suggested messaging, visuals, and actions for BC’s tourism industry during emergencies.

💲New Rebate: The Securing Small Business Rebate provides BC small businesses with funds to cover the costs of commercial property crime and vandalism repairs, or to implement eligible preventative measures. Applications are open from November 22, 2023 to January 2025.

🍽️ Promote Culinary Tourism Events Across Canada: The Canadian Culinary Tourism Alliance (CCTA) is launching a new events calendar, "Guide to Canada's Tastiest Events." Submit your event to share the opportunity with audiences across Canada.

Research Reports

👫The 2022 Public Perceptions of BC's Tourism Industry report contains feedback from British Columbians on their openness to tourism, perceived industry importance, importance of tourism to the economy, perceptions on the economic impact of tourism, perceived socio-cultural impacts of tourism, perceived environmental impacts of tourism, and more.

📊 The Projections of Tourism Employment in Canada 2019-2027 has been updated with key findings that indicate a steady recovery. BC is expected to surpass 2019 employment levels in 2024. Complementing the full report, there are concise factsheets for each industry group highlighting crucial projections and regional insights.

📉 The go2HR BC Tourism and Hospitality Employment Tracker - October 2023 data reveals persistent challenges in employment and recovery within the Thompson Okanagan tourism and hospitality sector, including a 15% decrease in employment from September to October, translating to 26% fewer employees compared to October 2019.

Upcoming Webinars

Upcoming Events

Be a Resource

✨Spirit of Hospitality Lottery - The BC Hospitality Foundation provides essential support to BC hospitality employees facing times of medical or financial crisis. To raise funds, they are holding a lottery with over $30,000 in prizes to be won, including getaways to Aspen, Big White, the Pacific Northwest, Okanagan Wine touring, Vancouver Island, Osoyoos, Tofino, and Whistler. Buy tickets

Marketing

Recovery Campaigns to Encourage Travel to Thompson Okanagan & BC

TOTA and Destination BC (DBC) launched coordinated marketing campaigns to encourage travel in the fall months and beyond to impacted areas in the Thompson Okanagan region and the province overall. DBC’s provincial campaign "Help BC by Exploring BC" was augmented by a regional and community campaign entitled "Travel Now" and supported by the TOTA Marketing Team.

Highway 3 Tourism Campaign

The Highway 3 Tourism Alliance—a collaboration led by three regions (Kootenay Rockies Tourism Association, Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) and Vancouver, Coast & Mountains Tourism Region)—has launched its first campaign.

The campaign includes a new website, which showcases communities in BC along Highway 3 (including the Similkameen, South Okanagan, and Boundary Country areas of the Thompson Okanagan), shares recommended itineraries, and encourages travellers to slow down to enjoy a classic road trip. Digital ads will promote fall travel.

Check out Hwy3BC.ca for more information. Contact Mike@TOTABC.com with any questions.

Business Feature: Osoyoos Desert Centre

The Osoyoos Desert Centre is a nonprofit charitable organization founded in 1991 to conserve the rich, biologically diverse habitats of British Columbia’s southern interior. The South Okanagan is home to one of the highest concentrations of rare and at-risk species in all of Canada. Through its conservation, restoration and education efforts, the Osoyoos Desert Centre strives to generate public knowledge, respect and active concern for these fragile and endangered ecosystems.

In a recent email update, Lee McFadyen, President of the Osoyoos Desert Centre, shared her experience of this past summer, which is all too familiar for many in the industry. She begins by reflecting on the past summer, reminiscing about visitors enjoying tours and events on their new boardwalk and under the new pergola over the picnic tables.

"Then whammy; a stray spark ignited vegetation near Oroville. With strong south winds the flames raced northward, people hurriedly evacuating, homes saved by valiant firefighters. As the fire was burning fiercely above us, we were concerned about stray embers igniting the tinder dry vegetation and sweeping through the Centre. Foremost in our minds was the safety of staff and visitors. What to do? The answer was obvious. Close! Until the threat passed. Close, even though this would result in no visitors for two weeks and further affect admissions already impacted by smoke and heat. But safety came first.

The threat passed; the Centre was intact. We reopened, but overall conditions reduced outdoor activity and visitor numbers remained down. So here we are. The challenging summer has reduced our cash flow significantly. Despite this, our commitment to our many programs is not squelched. We have the energy to continue. The site provides the platform, but cash is essential to maintaining the educational and fun programs enjoyed by our diverse visitors.

Board and staff are optimistic, but we need your help. Please consider making a donation to us this year."

To learn more about Osoyoos Desert Centre, visit Desert.org.

Strengthening the Destination

2023 BC Cabinet & First Nations Leaders Gathering, with TOTA CEO Ellen Walker-Matthews

TOTA at the BC Cabinet & First Nations Leaders’ Gathering

The BC Regional Destination Marketing Organization CEOs, including TOTA CEO Ellen Walker-Matthews, were invited to attend the BC Cabinet & First Nations Leaders’ Gathering with Minister Lana Popham, Tourism, Arts, Culture, and Sport.

The Gathering included discussion sessions and one-on-one meetings to connect leaders and help move forward on the path to building a fair, just, and equitable future through government-to-government relationships that support reconciliation and self-determination.

TIABC Board of Directors

The Tourism Industry Association of BC (TIABC) announced their 2023-24 Board of directors, including the following directors doing business in the Thompson Okanagan:

Chris Lewis, Director, Destination Development | Tourism Kelowna
Nicole Ford, VP Communications, Sustainability & Stakeholder Relations | Rocky Mountaineer
Sandra Oldfield, Partner | Elysian Projects
Michael J. Ballingall, Sr. V.P., | Big White Ski Resort
Brenda Baptiste, | Project Manager, Osoyoos Indian Band Centre for Aboriginal Community Enterprise and Chair, Indigenous Tourism BC

Congratulations and thank you to these industry professionals for serving the tourism industry.

New Provincial Parks in North Thompson and Boundary Country

The newly acquired land includes:

Wells Gray Park (near Clearwater): 33.25 hectares of an inholding that contains wetlands, advanced second-growth forest and habitat for black bears, moose, deer, birds and small mammals.
Gladstone Park (near Grand Forks): 8.28 hectares that contains a popular local swimming area known as the potholes. The addition will help improve the existing trail network and connectivity through the park.

The Province is consulting with First Nations’ governments prior to making decisions about legally establishing the lands as parks and protected areas.