News & Resources
The latest Thompson Okanagan tourism industry news from TOTA, tourism businesses, and communities.
Business Tips on Welcoming 2SLGBTQIA+ Travellers from Tourism Kelowna
Tourism Kelowna has shared an article for businesses, including business practices to consider and how to assess if you’re ready to welcome 2SLGBTQIA+ travellers, a valuable market made up of highly-educated individuals with disposable income seeking businesses that align with their values.
Tourism Kelowna has shared an article for businesses, including business practices to consider and how to assess if you’re ready to welcome 2SLGBTQIA+ travellers, a valuable market made up of highly-educated individuals with disposable income seeking businesses that align with their values.
Resources for Canada Pride Season (June to September)
Pride Season refers to the wide range of Pride events that take place over the summer (June to September) when LGBTQ2 communities and allies come together to spotlight the resilience, celebrate the talent, and recognize the contributions of LGBTQ2 communities.
Learn how to get involved as a business, including events, social media assets, the Rainbow Registered Business Directory, and LBGTQ2 project funding for non-profit organizations.
Pride Season is a term that refers to the wide range of Pride events that take place over the summer (June to September) when LGBTQ2 communities and allies come together to spotlight the resilience, celebrate the talent, and recognize the contributions of LGBTQ2 communities.
Canadians are invited to share messages of solidarity for LGBTQ2 people using the hashtag #Pride2022, and use your channels to celebrate the advocates, survivors, and community leaders who continue to shape Canada’s diversity and inclusivity.
Rainbow Registered Program by Canada's LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce and Tourism HR Canada
Rainbow Registered is a national accreditation for LGBT+ friendly businesses and organizations. The Rainbow Registered symbol signifies that the business or organization meets a stringent set of standards to ensure LGBT+ customers feel safe, welcomed, and accepted.
Accredited businesses will receive:
Rainbow Registered Welcome Kit (window decal, desk card)
Basic listing and map inclusion in the Rainbow Registered business directory
Website badge
Access to CGLCC Associate Member Benefits
Visit the Rainbow Registered Business Directory & Travel Stories →
LGBTQ2 Project Funding
Not-for-profit Canadian organizations that work primarily or entirely with LGBTQ2 communities can apply for funding to support actions in one or more of the following areas:
Policies and practices
Knowledge, tools, and support
Norms, attitudes, and behaviours
Authority, voice, and decision-making
Increasing impact through cross-sector collaboration
National Unemployment Rate Dips to 5.1% - Women Lead Job Growth
Canada’s unemployment rate dropped to 5.1 per cent in May, the lowest level on record, according to recent Labour Force Survey results from Stats Canada. This included a jump in jobs for women as the country added 40,000 jobs last month.
The agency said that women across all age groups made up the bulk of hiring in May, with employment steady for men. The participation rate, which looks at workers employed or looking for a job, hit an all-time high of 85 per cent for core-aged women in May. Also to note, there was a rise in employment rate in accommodation and food services (+20,000; +1.9%) for a second consecutive month.
The unemployment rate in BC has dropped to a three-year low of 4.5%, which is a rate not seen since July 2019. There are now nearly 100,000 more people working in BC than prior to the pandemic.
Canada’s unemployment rate dropped to 5.1 per cent in May, the lowest level on record, according to recent Labour Force Survey results from Stats Canada.
This included a jump in jobs for women as the country added 40,000 jobs last month.
The agency said that women across all age groups made up the bulk of hiring in May, with employment steady for men. The participation rate, which looks at workers employed or looking for a job, hit an all-time high of 85 per cent for core-aged women in May. Also to note, there was a rise in employment rate in accommodation and food services (+20,000; +1.9%) for a second consecutive month.
The unemployment rate in BC has dropped to a three-year low of 4.5%, which is a rate not seen since July 2019. There are now nearly 100,000 more people working in BC than prior to the pandemic.
UNWTO Gender-inclusive Strategy for Tourism Businesses
The UNWTO released a business case for advancing gender equality, called the "Gender Inclusive Strategy for Tourism Businesses," which contains tools to support private sector tourism enterprises of all types and sizes achieve effective and consistent strategies and programmes for gender equality across their operations.
The UNWTO released a business case for advancing gender equality, called the "Gender Inclusive Strategy for Tourism Businesses," which contains tools to support private sector tourism enterprises of all types and sizes achieve effective and consistent strategies and programmes for gender equality across their operations.
Report on The State of Women’s Entrepreneurship in Canada 2022
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and sole proprietorships are the drivers of the Canadian economy, accounting for the vast majority of all businesses in the country.
For over two years, these businesses have been battered by the social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Those in the service sectors, where women-owned businesses tend to concentrate, have been hardest hit.
The Women’s Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub (WEKH), which is led by Ryerson’s Diversity Institute’s founder, Wendy Cukier, released its latest analysis of new and existing research from the State of Women’s Entrepreneurship in Canada 2022. The report finds that rates of women entrepreneurship remain steady, and in the face of unprecedented challenges, women entrepreneurs remain optimistic and have continued to exhibit great resilience and innovation.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and sole proprietorships are the drivers of the Canadian economy, accounting for the vast majority of all businesses in the country.
For over two years, these businesses have been battered by the social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Those in the service sectors, where women-owned businesses tend to concentrate, have been hardest hit.
The Women’s Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub (WEKH), which is led by Ryerson’s Diversity Institute’s founder, Wendy Cukier, released its latest analysis of new and existing research from the State of Women’s Entrepreneurship in Canada 2022. The report finds that rates of women entrepreneurship remain steady, and in the face of unprecedented challenges, women entrepreneurs remain optimistic and have continued to exhibit great resilience and innovation.
Safer Spaces: go2HR Free Online Sexual Harassment Workplace Training
go2HR’s newest free online training course, Safer Spaces, is designed to create sexual harassment free workplaces in the BC tourism and hospitality industry.
The online training course, designed for employers and supervisors, is live and open for registration. The Safer Spaces course is self-paced so that participants can complete the modules in a safe learning environment, without any pressure and according to their schedule.
There are 10 modules, and the course takes around three hours to complete.
Safer Spaces was designed by a team of experts convened by go2HR. The project team is united by a commitment to reduce the stigma around workplace sexual harassment and a desire to champion the topic as an integral element of workplace education and training.
go2HR’s newest free online training course, Safer Spaces, is designed to create sexual harassment free workplaces in the BC tourism and hospitality industry.
The online training course, designed for employers and supervisors, is live and open for registration. The Safer Spaces course is self-paced so that participants can complete the modules in a safe learning environment, without any pressure and according to their schedule.
There are 10 modules, and the course takes around three hours to complete.
Safer Spaces was designed by a team of experts convened by go2HR. The project team is united by a commitment to reduce the stigma around workplace sexual harassment and a desire to champion the topic as an integral element of workplace education and training.
Gender Equity Tourism Business Audit from WORTH Association
The Women of Recreation, Tourism & Hospitality (WORTH) Association has released a Gender Equity Audit for the workplace.
The audit was developed by WORTH, based on a workshop in November 2021 with 50 industry professionals, where CapU students, The Sociable Scientist, and WORTH Board of Directors led participants through a series of discussions on inclusion, rewards, advancement, retention, flexibility and fair treatment.
In the first study of its kind in BC, the organizations determined recommendations and best practices on how to collectively support the empowerment of women in the tourism industry.
WORTH Association and TOTA strongly encourage organizations to perform this self-audit to understand how to retain and develop women of recreation, tourism, and hospitality.
The Women of Recreation, Tourism & Hospitality (WORTH) Association has released a Gender Equity Audit for the workplace.
The audit was developed by WORTH, based on a workshop in November 2021 with 50 industry professionals, where CapU students, The Sociable Scientist, and WORTH Board of Directors led participants through a series of discussions on inclusion, rewards, advancement, retention, flexibility and fair treatment.
In the first study of its kind in BC, the organizations determined recommendations and best practices on how to collectively support the empowerment of women in the tourism industry.
WORTH Association and TOTA strongly encourage organizations to perform this self-audit to understand how to retain and develop women of recreation, tourism, and hospitality.
New UNWTO Guidelines Put Women's Empowerment at Heart of Tourism's Restart
A new set of guidelines from the UNWTO will help both governments and businesses better address the needs of women in the tourism sector.
The guidelines aim to ensure an inclusive and resilient recovery from the impacts of the pandemic. The guidelines recognize that, given the disproportionate loss of employment suffered by women, as well as the high proportion of women workers within tourism and their concentration in lower-skilled and lower-paid jobs, plans for the sector’s restart and recovery must address their specific needs.
A new set of guidelines will help both governments and businesses better address the needs of women in the tourism sector.
The guidelines published by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) were developed with the support of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Development (BMZ), the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, and UN Women.
The guidelines aim to ensure an inclusive and resilient recovery from the impacts of the pandemic. The guidelines recognize that, given the disproportionate loss of employment suffered by women, as well as the high proportion of women workers within tourism and their concentration in lower-skilled and lower-paid jobs, plans for the sector’s restart and recovery must address their specific needs.
Driving Female Success | Royal Roads University Survey for Female Executives
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.
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.