Revised PHO on Gatherings & Events (January 27, 2022)

On January 27th, the Provincial Health Officer, published revisions to the Public Health Order on gatherings and events.

 Revisions include:

1. Youth sports tournaments may resume as of February 1

2. Further clarity was included around which events need to be seated. (Please note, wedding receptions, funerals, social parties are still not allowed.). Details are include on page 14, #6.

3. As it relates performances, lectures, and presentations must be seated. Therefore, for all other business events, people may stand including receptions related to business events.

4. Gyms and fitness centres have their own section and are able to operate once again with additional measures.

5. Please note, there are no changes as it relates to hotels so please continue to operate as you have been. 

View Order →

View Current Restrictions →

February is Black History Month

Black History Month is a time to honour, celebrate and reflect on the stories, experiences and accomplishments of Black Canadians here in British Columbia and across the country.

The 2022 theme for Black History Month is: “February and Forever: Celebrating Black History today and every day.”  

Actions you can take:

1. Tune in to Canada's Black History Month virtual celebration on February 17, 2022 at 4 PM PT on Facebook Live for feature performances, tributes, interviews, and more

2. Download and use the Government of Canada's Black History Month toolkit

3. Read the joint statement in recognition of Black History Month by BC Premier John Horgan and Rachna Singh, Parliamentary Secretary for Anti-Racism Initiatives

4. Learn more from the BC Black History Awareness Society and participate in their events, many of which will be held virtually online

5. Are you a Black-owned or operated tourism business in the Thompson Okanagan region? Email us at News@TOTABC.com to share your story and let us know how we can help amplify your business

Kal Grad 2022 Globox™ Fundraiser | Raffle Ends March 15, 2022

Building on the successful Globox™ fundraiser of 2021, the 2022 graduating class of Kalamalka Secondary School in Vernon are again working with Glohaven Community Hub to support their fundraising efforts.

KSS usually raises 10K-12K through their annual Apple Pie Fundraiser, however the event was unable to proceed in 2021 due to COVID. Instead, the Kal Grad Globox™ Raffle 2021 raised over $14,000 - making it the single most successful fundraiser in the history of Kal High School.

The 2022 online raffle ticket campaign has launched with nearly $12,000 worth of amazing prizes from an incredible 45 local Okanagan businesses, including Indigenous businesses and Biosphere Committed Companies.

Prizes include:

• 2 Indigenous Globoxes™ (featured experiences: a getaway to Spirit Ridge Resort and a Moccasin Trails excursion)

• 1 Remarkably Loved Globox™ (featured experience: a getaway to Sparkling Hill Resort).

• 1 Family Fun Globox™ (featured experience: Sicamous Houseboats Vacation package)

• 1 Eldorado Resort VIP Globox™ (featuring a getaway to the Eldorado Resort in Kelowna)

View Prizes & Buy Tickets →

1 for $20, 3 for $50, OR 7 for $100!

Raffle Ends: March 15th at 11:59 pm

About

This type of fundraising campaign is one of the ways Glohaven is supporting communities, partners, and the creators of local products and experiences (Glohaven offers to purchase their products / experiences).

They call this a TRIPLE WIN; the 2022 Kalamalka High School Grads WIN with their graduation expenses being covered, the local businesses involved WIN with fabulous exposure, and the recipients of the 5 fabulous Globox™ prizes WIN! Anything that is raised in surplus, will be left as a legacy gift for the school and put towards an outdoor learning structure.

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If you have products or experiences that you would like to participate in these fundraising opportunities to spread the word about your business, contact: angela@glohaven.com.

Wines of BC Explore App Awarded GOLD in Travel Weekly's Magellan Awards

The Travel Weekly Magellan Awards announced a GOLD medal for the Wines of BC Explorer App, marking the first ever win for a wine tourism app, and only the second ever for a Canadian based App in the category.

The Magellan Awards is the premier award for the global travel industry, honouring outstanding levels of design, marketing, and services – the Wines of BC Explorer App received the award in the Online Travel Services category.

The App is an essential tool for anyone looking to explore and enjoy BC wine. From plan-your-trip assistance to wine-education content and a personal taste test, the App is the best way to discover BC wine country, and in turn acts as a perfect conduit for BC wineries to connect with potential guests.

With all 300+ BC wineries listed on the App regularly updating new wine releases and tasting experiences, the increasing number of users can always find what they are looking for, and even uncover something they did not know they would love.

Features include:

1. Curated lists of wines and wineries

2. An interactive taste test with resulting wine suggestions

3. Shopping for wine and wine experiences

4. Helpful filters to enable discovery, search by ‘organic wines’ or ‘dog friendly wineries’ and more!

The Wine Growers of BC team is always looking to improve and launch exciting new features. The most recent feature is a geo-location tool designed to assist users in finding wineries and wine shops closest to their location and preferences.

Download App →

Learn More →

The Value of Tourism Video Series by TIABC, BCRTS & Destination BC

The Value of Tourism is a series of short videos capturing the essence of the tourism industry’s contribution to British Columbia from the lens of the people who work in the various sectors and regions that make up our province’s visitor economy.

The videos tell stories using concrete examples from both a personal perspective, in addition to how their business, community, region, or sector has made a difference. The interviewees bring the viewer along and paint a compelling yet personable picture. 

The Tourism Industry Association of BC (TIABC) partnered with the BC Regional Tourism Secretariat (BCRTS), Destination British Columbia, and PacifiCan to produce the videos.

About the Value of Tourism

Tourism contributes to the high quality of life in British Columbia by supporting arts, sports, Indigenous culture, historical assets, festivals and events, restaurants and pubs, parks and recreation, outdoor adventure, among other sectors and activities. Tourism brings significant international benefits through trade and investment, education, infrastructure development, and immigration.

The tourism industry is comprised of thousands of mostly small businesses, whose voices are often unheard. TIABC and its industry partners in British Columbia must come together to strengthen our collective voice to fully capture the opportunity ahead and overcome the obstacles.

The Value of Tourism (VoT) initiative has been designed to increase the understanding of tourism as a powerful engine for economic, cultural, and social well-being, and to secure cross-government support for tourism investments by describing how tourism benefits every community and region in British Columbia.

This project is also designed to increase interest in tourism as a career choice, as well as provide insight into how tourism can be a catalyst for addressing major issues and opportunities such as climate change, sustainability, reconciliation, workforce, among other priorities. 

Share the Value of Tourism

The vignettes and videos are available for use by destination marketing organizations, sector associations, individual operators, and other tourism stakeholders to use in communicating with all levels of government, residents, community and business leaders, organizations, schools and universities, and others to share the Value of Tourism through social media channels, websites, presentations and advocacy initiatives, etc. to help rebuild the reputation and understanding of the importance of the tourism industry post-COVID-19.

Share Videos →

Improvements Coming to BC Parks Digital Services | Share Your Feedback

BC Parks is inviting British Columbians to participate in the redesign of its digital services since the journey for many people seeking outdoor experiences begins online. Feedback can be shared through the new test site at Beta.BCParks.ca.

People can participate in the redesign to create a more user-friendly and inclusive online experience through BCParks.ca.

The new BC Parks test site is live and provides a glimpse into the design work and improvements being made. New content and features will be added to the site during the coming months. People can also sign up to join future focus groups to help inform the future of all BC Parks digital products and services.

A key feature of the redesign is to improve the online reservation system with expanded features. Opening March 21, 2022, the new reservation service will be available through the BC Parks website and will include key features such as:

• more flexible search options to find and book a campsite;

• maps, calendars and lists of available sites for quicker navigation;

• saved booking preferences and locations within customer accounts; and

• as many as five large photos per campsite.

Share your thoughts on the new website design →

Coalition of Businesses & Sector Associations Express Concern With Province's Sick Pay Program

Originally published by TIABC on January 28, 2022.

In a letter to Labour Minister Harry Bains, the coalition noted that the sick pay program comes at a difficult time for businesses during the height of the new Omicron wave. It's particularly challenging for businesses such as pubs and restaurants which were not closed (and thus many were ineligible for government assistance) and whose business dropped precipitously.

There are many examples of businesses experiencing functional closures and seeing a significant portion of their employees at home sick. Consequently, operationally and administratively it has been a very challenging start to the year.

One of the group's primary concerns relates to the fact that businesses and employees rely on payroll and human resources information systems to track, store and provide accurate information on use of paid sick days and payment for those days. Nearly all of these systems are based on a workplace having a common ‘employment year’ which is most often the calendar year or a business’s fiscal year.

The current wording of the ‘employment year’ definition on the Employment Standards website from the policy interpretation of Illness or Injury Leave - Act Part 6, Section 49.1 is causing confusion for employers and workers alike: “Employment year” refers to the specific employee’s employment year, based on their start date.

Most businesses remain unaware of this interpretation of the policy. In addition, there are problems faced by businesses struggling to understand how to implement paid sick leave for part-time and short-term employees.

In its letter, the coalition offered a number of recommendations for the province to consider including amending the definition of 'employment year', as well as reimbursing businesses for the additional sick days paid over the annual intended five days paid sick leave businesses understood they were required to pay.

Organizations that signed a letter include TIABC, BC Chamber of Commerce, Greater Vancouver BC Restaurant & Food Services Association, Restaurants Canada, go2HR, ABLE BC, BCHA and others.

Buy a BC Parks Licence Plate to Support Park Services

The BC Parks Licence Plate Program is a partnership between the Province and ICBC whereby motorists in British Columbia can choose one of three specialty plate designs depicting scenes from B.C.’s parks and protected areas.

The designs include the Kermode bear, an elusive white version of black bear found on B.C.’s coast, the snow-capped Purcell Mountains symbolizing the province’s interior region, and Porteau Cove overlooking Howe Sound.

Available at Autoplan broker offices throughout B.C., a BC Parks plate costs $50 for the initial purchase, and $40 to renew each year.

All net proceeds from the sale and ongoing renewals of the licence plates are re-invested back into provincial parks through the Park Enhancement Fund (PEF), a special account separate from the B.C. government's annual budget to BC Parks.

The BC Parks Licence Plate Program is marking its five-year anniversary, and more than 300 diverse projects and programs have been supported to further protect and enhance B.C.’s world-renowned parks system. In March 2021, the BC Parks Licence Plate Program reached a milestone with the sale of 250,000 specialty plates.

Through partnerships with Indigenous partners and community groups across the province, projects related to conservation, Indigenous reconciliation, fire-based ecosystem and land management, engagement, education and inclusion were completed over the last five years, as well along with support for the Student Ranger Program which started in 2018.

Buy a BC Parks License Plate →

Learn More →

B.C. Vaccine Card Extended, Youth Tournaments to Resume

In a press conference January 25, 2022, the Provincial Health Officer (PHO) announced that proof of full vaccination will continue to be required to access some events, services, and businesses in B.C. The requirement is in place until June 30, 2022. It applies to all people born in 2010 or earlier (12+).

The vaccine card will be reviewed regularly and stopped sooner if the situation changes.

Sport tournaments for children and youth will resume effective Feb. 1, 2022. The prohibition on adult tournaments will continue to be in effect.

Both amendments will be reflected in the Public Health Order covering Gatherings and Events.

Learn More →

View Proof of Vaccination Requirements →

YLW Receives Millions in Federal Funding for Infrastructure Projects & Operations

Kelowna International Airport is receiving over $18 million in funding for key infrastructure projects and operational support from Transport Canada’s Airport Critical Infrastructure Program, including:

• Combined Operations Building

• Airport Terminal Building Roof Replacement

• Airport Biosecurity Infrastructure

• Runway End Safety Area

• Airfield Lighting and Support Infrastructure

Along with the announcement for the critical infrastructure projects, the Government of Canada is also providing more than $3 million from Transport Canada’s Airport Relief Fund. This will provide funding to maintain continued airport operations and essential air services for residents and workers in Kelowna and surrounding communities.

Learn More →

Welcome to Klippers Organic Acres New Biosphere Committed Company

Klippers Organics Acres

At Klippers Organics Acres, they believe that sustainable, healthy, and delicious food is essential. They are a Certified Organic farm located in the heart of the Okanagan in the beautiful Similkameen Valley.

They joined the Biosphere Commitment Program because Klippers Organics Acres aligns with what the program is all about. They have been working on similar projects since their start of farming over 30 years ago.

Sustainability means to Klippers Organics Acres that they leave the land better than how they found it. They look at their entire footprint of the farm, the guest suites, restaurant, cidery, and Café/Marketplace and work within all of these areas to be sustainable. Klippers Organics Acres uses the fruit and vegetables from the farm to supply the restaurant, cidery, and café. Using sustainable energy sources where applicable and any food waste that does come from the restaurant or café then goes back to the farm and is turned into compost.

Sustainability is everything for Klippers Organic Acres. First they are organic farmers and believe in leaving the soil better then how they found, building the organic matter up year after year. They were also one of the first to start harvesting the sun with a solar hot water system, then used geothermal energy for heating and cooling their house. They successfully put 80 solar panels on poles for energy consumption and they plan to continue to expand in that direction.

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Community Outreach Incentive Program (COIP) Funding Helps Promote Electric Vehicle Uptake In B.C.

Community groups and local governments throughout the province can receive funding through the Community Outreach Incentive Program (COIP) to educate and encourage people to switch to electric vehicles (EVs).

The Province is providing $118,000 through COIP under a partnership with the Emotive outreach and awareness campaign to support B.C. communities, organizations and local governments delivering local and regional EV-awareness campaigns that include video production, EV events and demonstrations.

This year, COIP funding was also provided to the Clean Transportation Targets and Planning (CTTP) pilot that supports target setting, policy planning and implementation to encourage the transition to EVs as well as other forms of transportation, such as walking, cycling and public transit.

“More people than ever before are discovering the benefits of switching to electric vehicles in communities across the province,” said George Heyman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy. “With CleanBC, our government is working hard to support people with affordable and clean transportation options that work for them.”

The COIP and CTTP pilot align with the goals and targets in the Province’s recently released CleanBC Roadmap to 2030, which details a range of expanded actions to accelerate the transition to a net-zero future and achieve B.C.’s legislated greenhouse gas emissions targets. These actions include strengthening the Zero-Emissions Vehicles (ZEV) Act to require 26% of light-duty vehicle sales to be ZEV by 2026, 90% by 2030 and 100% by 2035, which is five years ahead of the original target.

Quick Facts:

• British Columbia is leading the country in transitioning to EVs with more than 60,000 light-duty EVs on the road.

• British Columbia was the first place in the world to have a 100% zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) law and is leading North America in uptake rates of EVs at nearly 10% of new light-duty vehicle sales in 2020.

• The Community Outreach Incentive Program is funded by the Province of B.C. and is administered by Plug In BC, a program of the Fraser Basin Council Society.

• Emotive is a B.C.-wide outreach and awareness campaign that encourages the accelerated adoption of EVs in B.C.

• The Roadmap to 2030 also includes a focus on efficiency-first transportation actions, including committing to increasing the share of trips made by walking, cycling and transit, including commuting for work and personal activities, to 30% by 2030, 40% by 2040 and 50% by 2050, as well as a 25% reduction in vehicle kilometres travelled by 2030 (from 2020 levels).

2021 Sustainable Project of The Year Award Winner - Monte Creek Winery

Monte Creek Winery was selected as the 2021 Sustainable Project of the Year Award Winner!

This summer, Monte Creek Winery ran a fundraising and awareness campaign around BC badgers. The species is red listed endangered in BC and the winery learned that the leading cause of their death is highway kills on HWY 1 between Kamloops and Prtichard, the stretch of highway the borders part of the winery's property. With fewer than 350 badgers left in BC, Monte Creek Winery took action with realizing their responsibility to advocate for BC badgers. The winery sold post cards, badges, and accepted donations to support the BC Badger Society and the BC Wildlife Park. They also posted content on social media and their website to bring awareness to the need for conservation.

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Endangered Badger Conservation Fundraiser Highlights

• Two commissioned abstract paintings created by BC Wildlife Park’s resident BC badger Bloom, were auctioned off

• All proceeds raised from the postcard and button sales were donated to Badgers in BC, a badger conservation group

• Additional donations and partial proceeds were donated to Bloom’s upkeep

• Fundraiser Number Breakdown

  • The total fundraised amount was $905.50

  • The two paintings were sold for a total of $730.00

  • 25 donations were made

  • 75 buttons were sold

  • 15 postcards were sold

“Sustainability is one of the core values at Monte Creek Winery. The team believes in and practices regenerative agriculture, a practice that includes the rehabilitation and conservation of the ecosystem. BC badger conservation is important to us at Monte Creek Winery as the stretch of Highway 1 outside of our winery between Lafarge and Pritchard is reportedly the worst in the province for badger mortality. Since we found out, we have been actively working towards reducing badger mortality rates. Our team was pleasantly surprised with the response and the support for the campaign. We know there is a long way to go to stabilize the badger population, but we are looking forward to continuing campaigns in the future and also working closely with the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure as well as the Manager of the Wildlife Program to make badger travel safer.”

-Ashley Demedeiros

Photo: Whiskey & Wine

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Differentiate Your Hotel with Google’s Eco-labels

When being a tourist it is important to ensure that your actions are as respectful as possible, not only to the environment, but also the local population of the destination and its cultural and heritages resources.

At Biosphere they are aware that through their Biosphere Sustainable Lifestyle methodology, they manage to involve all stakeholders with a sustainable lifestyle; called the Biosphere circle, where the commitment of destinations to sustainability is also assumed by their companies and clients, tourists, and citizens.

Google Ecolabels

Google’s new functionality ‘eco-labels’ is a tool that many are already talking about, hotels can share information about their good practices, including the option to publicize the environmental and ecological seals they hold. Such as Green Key or ISO 14001, sustainability labels such as Earth Check, as well as certifications that accredit business alignment with the sustainability of the United Nations (Agenda 2030). With Biosphere being the only sustainability certification tool capable of addressing the 17 SDGs in a comprehensive manner.

This is a great opportunity to add to your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business), the “Google Travel” section. The Google ecolabels are currently only available to hotels. Those that have been recognized for their environmental and sustainable efforts will include the green label "Eco-certified" in their profile, accompanied by a leaf icon. Thus, by clicking on this label visitors will access all the information about the environmental and sustainable efforts that the hotel has included in its profile.

Steps to activate your eco-label on your Google profile:

In order to activate this icon on your profile, you must have a badge / certification that is recognised by Google. If you already have an accreditation from one of these certifiers, log in to Google and start reporting all the information about your sustainability efforts.

1. Go to your Google Business Profile

2. Select the "Information" tab and go to the "Hotel Attributes" field

3. Inside you will find the "Sustainability and Eco-certifications" section where you can communicate all your good practices.

Canadian Council of Tourism Ministers Meeting to Plan Recovery

The annual Canadian Council of Tourism Ministers meeting (CCTM) was held on January 20, 2022 to provide a forum for federal, provincial, and territorial tourism ministers to agree on common objectives to pursue. They also reaffirmed the need for continued collaboration and support for the sector through the pandemic and towards recovery.

Throughout the meeting, the ministers discussed the current context and the main challenges affecting the recovery of the tourism sector, both in the short and long term, including uncertainty surrounding the trajectory of the pandemic, the level of tourism demand, workforce challenges, and destination development.

Ministers also agreed to establish a collaborative work plan consisting of three key elements in short order:

1. collaborating to address the challenges posed by workforce shortages;

2. addressing access to destinations; and

3. promoting economic growth for the entire tourism sector, specifically sustainable tourism, events, and Indigenous experiences.

Ministers will review progress on this work plan throughout 2022.

Congratulations to the Hon. Melanie Mark on being appointed as co-chair of the committee, along with federal Tourism Minister Randy Boissonnault.

“Tourism is vital to our country, communities, economy, and the people whose livelihoods depend on its continued success. We recognize the ongoing challenges faced by the tourism sector and are committed to our collective recovery and future growth by working and paddling together. I am honoured to serve in my new role as co-chair of the Canadian Council of Tourism Ministers, so we can champion tourism recovery in every postal code in our country.”

-Melanie Mark, British Columbia Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport

View News Release →

New Order Requires Employers to Re-Activate COVID-19 Safety Plans | Order Now Available

On January 7, 2022, B.C.’s provincial health officer verbally announced an order requiring employers to re-activate their COVID-19 safety plans. This new order replaces the previous requirement for employers to have communicable disease prevention plans and does not have an expiration date.

View Official Order →

The order requires COVID-19 Safety Plans to incorporate some expanded and new controls, including:

• Indoor common area protocols to prevent workers from congregating

  • face coverings used in indoor common areas

  • lunch area/break room protocols

• Policies to support workers who have symptoms of a communicable disease

  • to avoid the workplace

  • when symptoms present in the workplace

  • work from home options

  • self-isolation and monitoring

• Measures to promote hand hygiene

  • handwashing and sanitizing

• Measures to keep the workplace environment safe

  • cleaning and sanitizing

  • ventilation and air circulation

• Measures to support workers receiving vaccinations for COVID-19

Your new and improved COVID-19 Safety Plan must be communicated and maintained by:

• Posting a copy of the COVID-19 safety plan on your website for staff, visitors, and the public to view.

• Providing a copy of the COVID-19 safety plan to a health officer or WorkSafeBC officer upon request.

• Reviewing and updating the plan periodically to ensure adequate prevention measures are being followed, according to WorkSafeBC requirements and the current COVID-19 public health situation.

go2HR’s COVID-19 Safety Plan Review Service and Resources

go2HR is offering a complimentary COVID-19 Safety Plan Review Service to B.C.’s tourism and hospitality employers.

Register for Safety Plan Review →

If you have questions about these COVID-19 control measures or how to update your COVID-19 safety plan, health and safety experts are available to assist. Contact go2HR at 604-633-9787 or  safety@go2hr.ca.

Additional Resources

For other templates, signage, guidelines, and business support visit:

• WorkSafeBC Resources →

• Industry Specific Plan Information →

• go2HR Resources →

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Shuswap and Kelowna Listed in Leading Places: The 100 Most Loved Travel Destinations Around the World

The Tourism Sentiment Index has released a report, Leading Places: The 100 Most Loved Destinations Around the World for 2021.

For the first time ever, destinations around the world have been ranked to uncover those that are truly most loved, according to the Tourism Sentiment Score. To produce the rankings, Tourism Sentiment Index conducted a study of a massive volume of online data – more than 1.6 billion online conversations and content pieces publicly available about 21,330 global destinations.

In the Thompson Okanagan, the following destinations were in the Top 100:

• 96. Kelowna

• 99. Shuswap

Congratulations to Kelowna and the Shuswap for earning some of the world's most positive feedback and content in 2021.

View Rankings →

Sustainable Hospitality Alliance Announces Glenn Mandziuk as new CEO – Sustainable Hospitality Alliance

Glenn Mandziuk, former President and CEO of the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA), has been announced as the new CEO of the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance based in London, England.

“Building a sustainable and responsible tourism destination was foundational to the work undertaken by Glenn during his tenure at TOTA and this new role is in perfect alignment for his vision and passion in this area,” said Michael J. Ballingall, TOTA Board Chair. "On behalf of the board and our team at TOTA, we extend our congratulations to Glenn on this new role and wish him every success going forward."

About Sustainable Hospitality Alliance

The organization was originally founded in 1992 as the International Hotels Environment Initiative and part of the Prince of Wales Charities group with His Royal Highness as President.

Following a rapid period of growth, the organization became an independent charity and united under the name Sustainable Hospitality Alliance in 2020.

Members are made up of representatives from the global hotel industry, including 35,000 properties and 14 leading hotel companies, representing 30% of the world's hotel rooms or approximately 5.5 million rooms.

Addressing issues related to human rights, youth employment, climate action, and water stewardship, the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance is taking collective action and responsibility on behalf of the tourism industry to ensure destinations and communities are supported now and into the future.

View Announcement →

ITBC Seeking Indigenous Knowledge Keepers

ITBC is looking for Indigenous Knowledge Keepers to add to a list of reliable resources to share with partners and for invitations to participate in a variety of upcoming projects.

Indigenous Knowledge Keepers are invited to apply, including Elders, language speakers, storytellers, dancers, singers, drummers, land tour guides, artists, or plant medicine enthusiasts.

The main benefit of involvement is increased global exposure for Indigenous tourism operation. ITBC will also provide an honorarium based on the type of involvement.

If your business and/or community works with an Indigenous Knowledge Keeper, please share this opportunity with them.

Apply now →

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UN World Economic Situation and Prospects 2022 Report Underscores the Importance of Tourism for Economic Recovery

The United Nations (UN) has released the 2022 World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) Report.

According to the report, the global economic recovery is facing significant headwinds amid new waves of COVID-19 infections, persistent labour market challenges, lingering supply-chain challenges and rising inflationary pressures.

Tourism recovery is expected to drive growth in every world region.

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “The sudden halt in international tourism caused by the pandemic has emphasized the sector’s importance to both national economies and individual livelihoods. The flagship UN report makes use of UNWTO data and analysis to assess the cost of declining tourism and illustrates just how important restarting tourism will be in 2022 and beyond.”

Further analysing the sector’s role in economic recovery, the UN report notes that many destinations, in particular tourism-dependent countries, will need to diversify their tourism throughout 2022 and beyond.

Again drawing on UNWTO analysis, the publication shows how many destinations are developing domestic and rural tourism to help local economies in rural and depressed areas to boost job creation and protect natural resources and cultural heritage, while at the same time empowering women, youth and indigenous peoples.

Read Smart Tourism Article →

View WESP Report →