News & Resources
The latest Thompson Okanagan tourism industry news from TOTA, tourism businesses, and communities.
DBC - Be Prepared for Emergencies this Summer
Be prepared for emergencies this summer with the help of Destination BC’s recently updated Spring/Summer 2025 Emergency Messaging Guidance document. This guide outlines official emergency information sources and provides suggested messaging, actions, and other resources produced by the BC Tourism Emergency Management Committee for BC tourism businesses to help navigate questions, mitigate visitor concerns, and proactively manage perceptions during emergencies.
DBC’s Welcoming the American & Canadian Visitor This Season Webinar
Join DBC on Friday, May 23, 2025, for a one-hour webinar on the current traveler sentiment from and how visitors are perceiving travel due to the ongoing and evolving landscapes between Canada and the USA.
Event Details
Date: Friday, May 23, 2025
Time: 10:00–11:00 AM PT
Location: Online
Cost: Free – individual registration required
This Session Will Provide:
A clearer understanding of what the “Buy Canadian” narrative means for tourism
Up-to-date trends and forecasts for the summer 2025 travel season across key markets
Tactics for product and service adjustments to meet local market needs
Communication strategies to confidently handle questions tied to current tensions
Tools to help your team deliver inclusive, high-quality visitor experiences
Make the Trip Home: a new domestic marketing campaign - DBC
Destination BC has launched Make the Trip Home: a new domestic marketing campaign designed to inspire BC residents to reconnect with the extraordinary places and experiences that exist right in their own backyard, while supporting local businesses, workers, and communities.
Starting April 24, this campaign encourages multi-day summer vacations within BC . The campaign will leverage mixed channels to help reach BC audiences.
So where do you come in? To help BC tourism partners get involved in the campaign DBC has created a Campaign Partner Toolkit that includes, social media templates that can be localized/customized, allowing partners to promote their offerings while aligning with the larger campaign, as well as messaging guidelines to help increase the message reach.
Accommodation Plastic Use and Reduction Survey Results
Accommodators in the Thompson Okanagan are invited to take the BCHA’s short survey on plastic use and sustainability.
The Accommodation Plastic Use Survey highlights the ongoing efforts by businesses in the Thompson Okanagan and Vancouver Island regions to address plastic waste. While many accommodations have already taken steps to reduce single-use plastics, significant opportunities remain for further improvement and collaboration.
This survey underscores the interest and potential among accommodators to adopt innovative, sustainable practices. By fostering dialogue, sharing insights, and exploring new strategies, the tourism industry can make meaningful progress toward reducing its environmental impact.
Thank you to all participants and partners for contributing to this initiative. For further inquiries, please contact Eve Layman at eve@totabc.com.
Navigating Vintage 2024 – Winery, Restaurant, Retail Guides
Wines Growers British Columbia (WGBC) has developed strategic plans to support the wine industry through the use of out-of-province grapes for the 2024 vintage.
The plan involves the “Crafted in BC” messaging - a temporary positioning created to support BC wineries during the challenges of the 2024 vintage, a year marked by severe crop losses due to extreme weather. This allows wineries to transparently communicate the inclusion of out-of-province grapes in some wines, while still maintaining their commitment to quality, craftsmanship, and the long-term sustainability of the BC wine industry.
How Do You Measure Up? Tourism Sustainability Guide
The new How Do You Measure Up? Guide summarizes efforts across the tourism industry in BC on key environmental sustainability and climate resiliency indicators — including emissions, waste, and climate adaptation — and provides practical actions that businesses can take to measure and track their sustainability performance.
This guide provides helpful resources to businesses at any stage of their sustainability journey. This guide and additional resource are available through the BCTCRI Sustainability & Climate Adaptation Data Framework webpage.
Short-term Accommodation Registration Guidelines Webinar
May 1, 2025, is the provincial deadline to register short-term rental properties. Ahead of this, the Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs has delivered a webinar to provide an overview of the registration guidelines, key dates, and what accommodations need to know to stay compliant.
Working with Travel Media - Destination BC
Travel media relations is an essential marketing channel to tell our brand story, build awareness and encourage travellers to visit BC.
Check out this guide to help you prepare your destination or tourism business to engage with travel media to tell your story, while outlining both the benefits and the potential pitfalls.
Emergency Preparedness Week - British Columbia
Emergency Preparedness Week, May 4th to 10th, is a great time to encourage preparedness in your communities! This year’s theme is “In it together.”
Emergencies can happen anywhere, at any time. Now, more than ever, it’s important to:
Work together on a shared goal of being prepared
Get to know your neighbours and community
Identify people around you who may need extra support
Be personally prepared so you can support others and your community
During the week, the PreparedBC team will host free webinars. Find out more and register today via Zoom. All attendees will be entered to win a four-person home emergency kit.
2SLGBTQI+ Newcomer Entrepreneur Initiative
The Canadian Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (CGLCC) offers the Advisor Access Program, a specialized initiative designed to support 2SLGBTQI+ newcomer entrepreneurs in Canada. This program provides structured sessions and personalized networking opportunities with expert advisors, focusing on common business challenges and tailored to the unique needs of 2SLGBTQI+
Applications are open now.
ORCBC Grants & Funding Page
ORCBC has organized a webpage to help recreation organizations stay on top of opportunities to access funding for their recreation initiatives.
A new directory of fundraising sources is now available to help recreation organizations access funding for outdoor recreation initiatives, accessibility programs, trail maintenance, supply purchases, and professional development for volunteer crews.
Explore the resources at the bottom of the page, including 'Tips for Quality Grant Applications in Outdoor Recreation' and a grant tracking template.
Vernon Youth Job Opportunity with Youth Climate Corps BC (YCCBC) - Applications Closing Soon
There are some exciting youth climate action job opportunities coming to Vernon this summer! Youth Climate Corps BC (YCCBC) is hiring 5 youth (aged 17-30) to mobilize community climate action in the Vernon area. One Program Lead, one Program Coordinator, and three Community Climate Action Mobilizer positions are available.
The following positions are now open for application. Click the links below to access the job postings:
Program Lead, Vernon (deadline to apply: March 6)
Program Coordinator, Vernon (deadline to apply: March 6)
Community Climate Action Mobilizer, Vernon (deadline to apply: April 6)
Tariff Resources from the Central Okanagan Economic Development Commission
The Central Okanagan Economic Development Commission has released tariff resources, including a direct communication line for businesses with tariff questions.
This webpage will help businesses stay informed and connect with Business Development Officers.
The Tourism Data Collective Releases the Traveller Segmentation Program
The Canadian Tourism Data Collective (CTDC) has released the Traveller Segmentation Program, which will provide Canada’s tourism industry with visitor insights, behaviours, and preferences.
This program will offer:
In-depth visitor profiles
Segement identification tools
Training resources
Destination British Columbia’s Tourism Industry Dashboard
The 2024 data is now available on the Destination BC Tourism Industry Dashboard.
The 2024 data is now available on the Destination BC Tourism Industry Dashboard, which includes key tourism statistics such as international visitor arrivals data, provincial room revenue, regional occupancy rates, and more.
Tourism Industry Association of BC One-Minute Monitor: Impact of Cross-border Tariffs on Your Business
The Tourism Industry Association of BC (TIABC) is running a one-minute monitor regarding the impact of impending cross-border tariffs on businesses. This short survey will help them better understand businesses’ views on pressing issues and help inform policy development and prioritize advocacy activities.
Learn More About Community Futures BC with CF Boundary!
Community Futures British Columbia (CFBC) is celebrating 40 years in British Columbia. Check out the latest feature of Community Futures Boundary with General Manager, Jennifer Wetmore.
Small Business and Tourism Operator Preparedness Social Media Package
Download the small business and tourism operator preparedness social media toolkit.
The Government of British Columbia has created a toolkit for organizations and associations that support small businesses and tourism operators, including Indigenous and local governments, that can be used to encourage followers to prepare for emergencies.
Accommodation Plastic Use and Reduction Survey
Accommodators in the Thompson Okanagan are invited to take the BCHA’s short survey on plastic use and sustainability.
Accommodators in the Thompson Okanagan are invited to take the BC Hotel Association’s (BCHA) short survey on plastic use and sustainability.
Results from this survey will be used to assess the current landscape of plastic use and reduction efforts among accommodators, contributing to the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative (GTPI) annual reporting commitment.
Relief for BC wineries 2024 vintage
BC wineries will receive temporary support in response to the loss of grapes and damage to vines effective from April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026.
BC wineries will receive temporary support in response to the loss of grapes and damage to vines effective from April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026. Wineries will be able to use grapes and grape juice from outside the province for the 2024 vintage year. This measure aims to help wineries produce a 2024 vintage, maintain job security, and ensure the continued availability of BC-produced wines.
“B.C. wine growers and wineries are an integral part of the province’s economy and this year they have been hit by devastating losses due to extreme weather events,” said Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General. “By extending this support, we are providing badly needed help for our wineries during this challenging period. This relief for the 2024 vintage is essential to protect jobs and maintain the cultural and economic vitality this sector brings to our communities.”
Details on eligibility and related requirements will be available to the industry this fall.