News & Resources

The latest Thompson Okanagan tourism industry news from TOTA, tourism businesses, and communities.

 
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WestJet announces new flights from Seattle to Kelowna

WestJet will connect Kelowna and Seattle with a new daily service starting in January 2025.

 

WestJet will connect Kelowna and Seattle with a new daily service starting in January 2025. This route will enhance connectivity between these regions and a wide network of U.S. destinations via Seattle, thanks to WestJet's partnership with Delta Air Lines. WestJet's Executive Vice-President and Chief Commercial Officer John Weatherill emphasized that this service will offer convenient and affordable travel options for both business and leisure throughout the year.

WestJet will serve 12 destinations from Kelowna this winter with up to 20 daily departures out of YLW during peak winter travel.

Read the full announcement from WestJet.

 
 
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Moccasin Trails and Indigenous World Winery Selected to Receive Indigenous Tourism Grants

WestJet and the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC) are providing nine, $10,000 grants to Indigenous tourism businesses across Canada, including two Thompson Okanagan Indigenous tourism businesses: Moccasin Trails and Indigenous World Winery.

 

WestJet and the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC) are providing nine, $10,000 grants to Indigenous tourism businesses across Canada that have been devastated by the shutdown of the tourism industry due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The grants were originally earmarked through the WestJet/ITAC strategic national partnership, signed in November 2019.

Congratulations to the Thompson Okanagan Recipients of the 2020/2021 WestJet/ITAC grants!

The grant recipients will be spotlighted on WestJet’s social channels and its newsroom over the next year.

The recipients of these grants were given the news in March 2021 and their reactions were captured in a new WestJet/ITAC video. The video features Robert & Bernice Louie of Indigenous World Winery and Greg Hopf of Moccasin Trails.

The WestJet/ITAC strategic national partnership is a three-year commitment that outlines how the airline will foster opportunities for Indigenous tourism by showcasing Indigenous People’s culture and history while bringing global audiences to take part in Indigenous tourism experiences.

For the full listing of the grant recipients, visit westjet.com/en-ca/best-of-travel/indigenous-tourism.

For more information about Indigenous experiences across Canada, visit DestinationIndigenous.ca

 
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