Industry Newsletter Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association Industry Newsletter Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association

Thompson Okanagan Tourism News Summary

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The Good News(letter) | November 12

Through all the changes and uncertainty, we're continuously inspired by the resiliency and innovative spirit of the people behind the businesses. The Good News(letter) is brought to you twice a month by the TOTA team for a little bit of good news from around the Thompson Okanagan and globe.

 
 

Through all the changes and uncertainty, we're continuously inspired by the resiliency and innovative spirit of the people behind the businesses.

The Good News(letter) is brought to you twice a month by the TOTA team. 

Thompson Okanagan

Kelowna International Airport (YLW) announced that it will regain its international status for flights to and from Kelowna effective November 30. 

Currently YLW is anticipating the return of the following routes in the near future:

  • Alaska – Seattle – Dec. 16, 2021

  • Sunwing – Varadero – January 2022

  • WestJet – Phoenix, Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta, Cancun – January 2022

 
 
 

Once again, one of the most prestigious travel magazines in the world has awarded Big White Ski Resort as the best in British Columbia, rating us #12 in North America and Whistler #15. They were the only two B.C. resorts to make the top 30.

 

The 2021 Lieutenant Governor's Wine of the Year was awarded to Tantalus Vineyards for their 2018 Old Vine's Riesling. 

After tasting over 800 wines, the judges awarded silver, gold, and platinum medals to 90 BC wineries that were recognized during the virtual award ceremony.

 

Around the Globe

International tourism enjoyed signs of rebound in June and July 2021 as some destinations eased travel restrictions and the global vaccination rollout advanced in many parts of the world.

According to the latest edition of the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, an estimated 54 million tourists crossed international borders in July 2021, down 67% from the same month in 2019, but the strongest results since April 2020. 

 

The ‘Glasgow Declaration for Climate Action in Tourism’ was launched November 4th, 2021 at the UN Climate Change Conference COP26. Some of tourism’s biggest businesses have joined governments and destinations in committing to cut emissions in half by 2030 and achieve Net Zero by 2050 at the latest.

The Glasgow Declaration recognizes the urgent need for a globally consistent plan for climate action in tourism. 

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The Good News(letter) | October 29th

Through all the changes and uncertainty, we're continuously inspired by the resiliency and innovative spirit of the people behind the businesses. The Good News(letter) is brought to you twice a month by the TOTA team for a little bit of good news from around the Thompson Okanagan and globe.

 
 

Through all the changes and uncertainty, we're continuously inspired by the resiliency and innovative spirit of the people behind the businesses.

The Good News(letter) is brought to you twice a month by the TOTA team. 

Thompson Okanagan

The Okanagan and Kettle Valley Rail Trail were featured in German cycling magazine RADtouren, after Destination BC hosted journalist Christine Neubauer (now editor-in-chief) in 2018. The Kettle Valley Trail route took centre stage in a double-page spread in the September/October issue, which teased the October special edition on cycling tours worldwide. This edition included a six-page article on cycling along the Kettle Valley Trail, and featured BC businesses like Giro Okanagan and Hoodoo Adventures.

 
 
 

Big White Ski Resort recently dropped off a set of gift baskets to Kelowna General Hospital's intensive care unit. "We will continue to support and acknowledge the ongoing tireless work that our ICU and frontline workers face every day," says Big White's Michael J. Ballingall.

 

Trail upgrades along the Kettle Valley Rail (KVR) Trail, in the Central Okanagan have been completed. The upgrades were performed along a 16 km section between Bellevue Trestle (above Kelowna) and Chute Lake in the hopes to improve trail users experience. TOTA is pleased to have undertaken this work through the support of Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD) and the Community Economic Recovery Infrastructure (CERIP) program funding, received through theMinistry of Forest Lands Natural Resource Operations & Rural Development.

 

Around the Globe

Swiss International Airlines has partnered with Too Good To Go to offer unsold service items at reduced prices. Partnering with Too Good to Go to sell off unused stock is a way of shifting that stock, so it doesn’t end up in a landfill or the compost bin.

 

ZeroAvia completed the world’s first hydrogen fuel cell powered flight of a commercial-grade aircraft. 

With its Piper six-seat plane, ZeroAvia’s achievement is the first step to realizing the transformational possibilities of moving from fossil fuels to zero-emission hydrogen as the primary energy source for commercial aviation.

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The Good News(letter) | October 8th

Through all the changes and uncertainty, we're continuously inspired by the resiliency and innovative spirit of the people behind the businesses. The Good News(letter) is brought to you twice a month by the TOTA team for a little bit of good news from around the Thompson Okanagan and globe.

 
 

Through all the changes and uncertainty, we're continuously inspired by the resiliency and innovative spirit of the people behind the businesses.

The Good News(letter) is brought to you twice a month by the TOTA team. 

Thompson Okanagan

TOTA's very own Sonja Gaudet was recently added to Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. Sonja is a three-time Paralympic Gold Medallist in wheelchair curling. She continues to raise funds and awareness to improve accessible environments, recreation and experiences for all.

Sonja is TOTA's Regional Access & Inclusion Liaison and can be reached her at accessibility@totabc.com.

 
 
 

Tourism Kelowna wanted to spread a little joy among the amazing people that make up the tourism industry and personally thank them for the great service they provide by participating in the 10 Million Acts of Kindness initiative. Over 10 days in September, the Tourism Kelowna team hand-delivered over 100 hundred gift bags to front-line staff of Tourism Kelowna stakeholders.

 

Trail upgrades along the Kettle Valley Rail (KVR) Trail, in the Central Okanagan have been completed. The upgrades were performed along a 16 km section between Bellevue Trestle (above Kelowna) and Chute Lake in the hopes to improve trail users experience. TOTA is pleased to have undertaken this work through the support of Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD) and the Community Economic Recovery Infrastructure (CERIP) program funding, received through theMinistry of Forest Lands Natural Resource Operations & Rural Development.

 

Around the Globe

Earlier this year, GOOD Travel and Eco Villa launched their Go Electric Eco Tour eGuide, a free, online guidebook designed to inspire New Zealand visitors and residents to try an electric vehicle and experience sustainable accommodations and tours in the South Island.

Through the partnership with Go Rentals, it’s now possible for guests to do the eco tour in a Tesla. Go Rental’s Tesla Model 3. 

 

One region in Belgium is developing a series of imaginative biking projects to cement its place as the cycling tourism capital of the country. The latest is a forest cycling trail called Cycling through the Trees that runs through Bosland, the largest adventure forest in Flanders. The trail gradually rises 32 feet in the air to then propel cyclists through a canopy of trees, offering a 360-degree experience.

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The Good News(letter) | September 17

Through all the changes and uncertainty, we're continuously inspired by the resiliency and innovative spirit of the people behind the businesses. The Good News(letter) is brought to you twice a month by the TOTA team for a little bit of good news from around the Thompson Okanagan and globe.

 
 

Through all the changes and uncertainty, we're continuously inspired by the resiliency and innovative spirit of the people behind the businesses.

The Good News(letter) is brought to you twice a month by the TOTA team. 

Thompson Okanagan

TasteFull Excursions is pleased to announce that it has been recognized as a 2021 Travellers’ Choice Award winner by Tripadvisor. Tripadvisor awards celebrate businesses that consistently deliver fantastic experiences to both locals and visitors from around the globe, having earned great traveller reviews on Tripadvisor over the last 12 months. As challenging as the past year was, TasteFull Excursions stood out by continuously providing service excellence for their guests

 

After producing a full season of predominantly digital content, the Kamloops Symphony is excited to reunite with in-person audiences in Sagebrush Theatre for the first time since March of 2020. Though the numbers will be limited, the KSO is thrilled to announce the first two concerts of their 2021-22 Season: Out of the Silence taking place on September 25 and 26, and Windscapes taking place on October 23 and 24. Both concerts will have a mix of in-person and live-streaming viewing options.

 

Uncorked Okanagan Wine Tours’ has been awarded a 2021 Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Award for Travel Experiences. “This is an incredible honour and we sincerely thank all of our guests for sharing their tour experiences on Tripadvisor,” says Deb Harris, company owner. This award signifies that Uncorked Okanagan Wine tour's has consistently delivered fantastic experiences to travelers around the globe and have earned great traveler reviews on Tripadvisor over the last 12 months.

 

Around the Globe

The Portuguese island of Madeira is looking to capitalize on the rise in numbers of a unique kind of traveler—digital nomads—by building a town entirely specialized for their residency. Realizing that the rise in telecommuting, and that the staggering beauty of the island would be deeply appealing to digital nomads, Madeira has created Digital Nomad Village, a place with fast internet, exclusive hotel property, community events, and a free office space.

 

Velas Resorts has given 100 healthcare heroes a free spa vacation at their resort in Mexico to say thank you for their great hearts during the worldwide pandemic. During April the public voted for their favourite stories among 350 nominations. The chosen workers received an all-inclusive stay of 4 days and 3 nights in the luxury resort, with food and drinks prepared by its premiere chefs and restaurants

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