Register for Self-Guided Tourism Digital Academy by Destination BC

The Tourism Digital Academy is a free, 8-week digital marketing program for BC tourism businesses who are interested in building their knowledge and skills in digital marketing to an intermediate level.

Designed for business owners or their marketing team members, this comprehensive program is focused on providing practical, actionable guidance to complete your digital marketing plan. From setting your goals, to building a better understanding of SEO, website usability, content, email marketing, analytics and more – you’ll leave the program with the confidence and knowledge to put that plan into action.

This online program includes:

• 8 weeks of interactive sessions led by digital marketing experts and ongoing access to the video recordings (Tuesdays & Thursdays each week for a total of four hours per week)

• Technical tutorials to dig deeper into specific areas and share experiences with other participants (Wednesdays each week for one hour)

• One-to-one coaching available, on demand, to answer your sticky questions

• Audits of your business website, SEO and social media channels, to assess your current situation

• A marketing plan template to guide development of your own plan

• Opportunities for peer support and networking

  
Eligibility and Application:

The application-based program is free for all participants. To be eligible for the program you must:

• Be a BC-based tourism business, whose product or service is regularly available for purchase within BC (community tourism and sector organizations are also eligible);

• Have an active business website;

• Demonstrate, through the application form, a minimum level of digital marketing experience; and

• Be able to dedicate up to 10 hours per week to the program: five hours to attend classes and tutorial sessions during business hours, and up to five hours to apply the learning to your marketing plan as you go.

If you have any questions, please email: IndustryDevelopment@DestinationBC.ca

South Okanagan Food & Drink Experience Development Program Event: Tasting the Okanagan Through the Ages

Chef Aman Dosanj

Food & Drink Experience Development Pilot Program

The Culinary Tourism Alliance (CTA), in collaboration with Destination British Columbia (DBC) and the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA), delivered a Food & Drink Experience Development Pilot Program in the South Okanagan. The pilot program initiated in May 2021 and concluded in February 2022.

Goals of the Experience Development Pilot Program

1. To support selected businesses with the creation and delivery of a new, market-

   ready food & drink experience to offer both locals and visitors to the South

   Okanagan

2. To contribute to the development of new food tourism experiences that will add

   to the destination’s overall value proposition, help visitors connect to the region

   in a more meaningful way, and encourage repeat visitation and referral

3. To summarize learnings from the experience development pilot program that

   may inform future experience development supports provided by DBC, which

   align with the implementation of the Invest in Iconics Strategy across British

   Columbia.

The first participant, Covert Farms Family Estate Winery, has now launched their event they created during this pilot program. Their event Tasting the Okanagan Through the Ages is an immersive dining experience with Chef Aman Dosanj of the Paisley Notebook pop-up series.

Tasting the Okanagan Through the Ages

The night will begin with a welcome reception, where guests can take their seat and enjoy free time to play farm games and explore. Next, you will hop aboard their vintage cherry red trucks for an open-air tour of their regenerative farm and vineyards. Here, they will discuss the rich history of the Syilx Okanagan Nation and neighboring Indigenous cultural site nʕaylintn, and then forage for traditional plants, some of which will be featured in the night’s dishes.

Chef Aman will guide guests through each of her incredible dishes along with the ingredients used, including organic fruits and vegetables grown right here on our farm and meats raised at the estate. Each dish will be paired with Covert Farms Estate wines by winemaker and farmer, Gene Covert, all of which are made with regenerative viticulture practices, using minimal intervention and natural fermentation when possible.

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Government of Canada Launches Consultation Period for Renewal of Federal Tourism Growth Strategy | Share Feedback by July 20

The Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance, announced the launch of the formal engagement period for the renewal of Canada’s Federal Tourism Growth Strategy.  

Minister Boissonnault will work with the tourism sector, provincial and territorial counterparts, and Indigenous tourism partners to renew the strategy and set a course for growth, investment, and stability. The Minister also spoke about supports for small and medium-sized enterprises and his vision for the tourism and hospitality industry in the coming years.  

The strategy will focus on important areas such as workforce challenges and destination development, which have become increasingly significant since the first strategy was launched in 2019. 

Tourism stakeholders, business owners and employees, as well as members of the public, are invited to visit New Federal Tourism Growth Strategy to provide input and help lay the foundation for the future of Canada’s tourism industry.

To share your views on how Canada can build on its reputation as a world-class destination, please send an email to tourisminfo-tourismeinfo@ised-isde.gc.ca. The deadline for submitting feedback is 11:59 pm (ET) on July 20, 2022.

Learn More →

go2HR Resources to Enhance Workplace Health and Safety Culture

go2HR has provided information and a checklist to help employers take a proactive approach to managing challenging guest interactions and prevent escalation.

Responding to challenging guest interactions can take a physical, emotional, and psychological toll on workers, affecting their work and personal lives. Other unwanted consequences can include increased absenteeism, high turnover, negative public image, and lost productivity if the risk of workplace violence is not adequately addressed. 

Challenging guest interactions can include worker harassment, verbal abuse and, in escalating situations, even physical violence. Let's take this example: A group of guests are angry due to longer-than-usual wait times to enter an establishment. They are becoming visibly agitated and are being disrespectful to the frontline worker. What if the worker hasn't been trained on how to respond to this kind of escalating situation? 

By implementing proactive measures to support workers and having appropriate incident response procedures, employers can positively influence the workplace safety culture. Additionally, they can show their workers that they genuinely care about worker personal safety and wellbeing. 

Employers in BC have a legal responsibility to protect workers from violence (including harassment). This can be accomplished by:

1. Conducting a risk assessment to determine the risk of violence

2. Implementing suitable control measures to protect workers, such as specific cash handling procedures or posting supportive signage

3. Determining and adhering to appropriate staffing levels to avoid working alone

4. Training workers to recognize the risk and how to respond to intensifying situations

5. Developing incident response procedures that include de-escalation techniques and incident follow up

Checklists for the Workplace

To help tourism and hospitality employers manage workplace violence, go2HR’s health and safety professionals have developed a suite of checklists. These are designed to assist businesses in addressing violence in the workplace by focusing on proactive prevention tasks, staff training topics, and appropriate incident response.

Download Checklist →

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Small Business BC: Business Education Live Webinars & Self-Directed e-Courses

Small Business BC provides practical business education tailored for small businesses in B.C. Whether you need help starting your business, hiring employees, managing operations, or anything else, Small Business BC is here to help.

Find the Right Resources for You:

Live Webinars:

Live webinars are real-time engaging presentations with live video and chat. Have a scheduling conflict? A recording will also be available for you to stream over the next seven days so you won’t miss a thing.

On Demand E-Learning:

Self-directed e-courses are available anytime, anywhere. Each on-demand e-course will cover bite-sized topics and help you learn through multimedia features such as readings, handouts, videos and quizzes. With course access for one full year, you can review to the course material multiple times as you progress through your entrepreneurial journey.

View Topics →

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Food Tourism 101 Guide | Culinary Tourism Alliance

If you want to learn more about culinary and food tourism, and how to elevate experiences in your business, check out the Food Tourism 101 resource by the Culinary Tourism Alliance.

The Culinary Tourism Alliance works with communities to grow food tourism by leveraging the history, heritage, and culture behind the food and drink that makes each destination unique.

Culinary tourism includes the active pursuit of unique and memorable eating and drinking experiences, as well as agritourism experiences that connect what is being grown and produced in an area to what is being prepared and enjoyed by locals.

View Guide →

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BC Wine Industry Recognition Awards Nomination | Submit by May 31

Wine Growers BC (WGBC) is now accepting nominations for the BC Industry Awards in two categories:

Award of Distinction (winery)

Recognizes a winery representative for their outstanding leadership, commitment, and passion for the advancement of the British Columbia wine industry. Established in 2016.

Industry Recognition Award (non-winery)

The award honours a non-winery industry individual, business or organization for support of the BC wine industry and BC VQA Wine through media, research, policy, regulation, education, advocacy, or other means significantly contributing to the overall strength and long-term viability of the industry. Established in 2013.

Nomination Criteria

The criteria for both awards are based on the core values of Wines of British Columbia. As part of your nomination, you must be able to detail how your nominee:

• Has promoted and enhanced the premium quality perception of BC wine.

• Has demonstrated outstanding leadership with industry peers, fostering unity and community.

• Is dedicated to offering excellence in BC wine hospitality and/or advancing sustainability.

• Exhibits an unmatched passion reflected in their work through innovations or achievements.

Please take five minutes to submit a nomination by 5:00 PM Tuesday, May 31, 2022.

Submit Nomination →

Tips for Onboarding New Staff | go2HR

go2HR has put together a guide for employee onboarding.

The value of properly onboarding new employees shouldn’t be underestimated. The time is an investment to have and retain well-trained employees. Given the current labour shortage, it just makes good business sense to nurture your relationship with your newest employees. go2HR has some great tips for helping you onboard new staff.

Learn More →

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Recap of IMPACT Sustainable Tourism Conference 2022

Last week, several TOTA team members attended the annual IMPACT Sustainable Tourism Conference in Victoria. The spirit of this internationally informed, Canadian-focused event is to educate, unite, commit, and take action towards the development of tourism as a financial and social force for good. Monitoring and measuring success through the lens of environment, community, culture, and economy (also known as planet, people and prosperity by the BC Ministry of Tourism, Art, Culture, and Sport).

Over the course of 2.5 days and more than 20 sessions, the conference presented the sustainability challenges faced by the tourism industry worldwide. Inspiring examples were shared of companies working towards regenerative tourism, and they called on tourism professionals to commit to meaningful action.

Key highlights from IMPACT:

Regenerative Tourism

The COVID-19 pandemic and climate change have converged to cause great disruption, however we are now in the midst of what is being referred to as the  Great Restart, an opportunity to reassess the ways in which we do business and refocus efforts to prepare for the future.

This requires significant intentional change and an urgency to incorporate sustainable and regenerative practices into the core of business planning and operations.

Tourism can strive to regenerate - meaning to protect and strengthen - land and communities, creating net positives for both. Working collectively, we can minimize the negative impacts and amplify the many benefits, to be equitably enjoyed by residents and guests.

What does regenerative tourism look like in action?

• Work to attract “High Values Guests,” meaning visitors that generally stay longer, support local businesses, and strive to minimize their individual impact on the destination and community.

• Incorporate sustainable technology and practices into your business that improve the guest experience and reduce costs.

• Make it easy to choose and provide education for guests to reduce carbon emissions, such as lower emission transportation methods, foods, and energy sources.

• Employ creative thinking around partnerships and collaboration, job sharing, and cross training to attract tourism professionals seeking full time, long-term employment.

• Industry certifications and frameworks which help destinations and companies build a foundation of practices that meet (or exceed) industry sustainability standards and communicate commitments to partners and customers.

• Collaborate with the scientific community to better understand tourism’s positive and negative impact. For example, researchers could study aspects of the tourism business to make improvements and help develop educational tourism experiences that share their knowledge and appreciation with guests.

• Develop infrastructure and experiences that help to lengthen the tourism season and encourage dispersion.

Indigenous Reconciliation

Indigenous reconciliation was woven throughout the entire conference, and underscored the importance of DMOs and businesses developing an Indigenous strategy and creating relationships with local nations working in collaboration to share stories and promote Indigenous services and experiences.

How can tourism be a powerful cultural and economic tool to take action towards reconciliation? Some examples for non-Indigenous entities include:

• Work to learn from Indigenous people and the sustainable practices at the core of their way of life

• Acknowledge the local nation and their history in tourism experiences and content.

• Become a Friend of Indigenous Tourism BC to begin collaboration towards mutual success and that contribute to reconciliation through the support of Indigenous tourism.

• Create an Indigenous Ally Program and share a portion of profits with local Indigenous bands, which can provide reliable income to employ Indigenous forest guardians.
  

Thompson Okanagan Commitment to Regenerative Tourism

While sustainability has been a key aspect of TOTA’s destination management strategy since 2012, it’s inspiring to see sustainability develop as the foundation of tourism in British Columbia, Canada, and other destinations around the world.

The TOTA team is eager to further incorporate regenerative tourism best practices into the Thompson Okanagan region, in order to continue as a competitive tourism destination and inspire others to plan the future of their destination through a sustainability lens.

If you want to discuss sustainable tourism and how your business can get started or build on an existing foundation, contact the TOTA Destination Stewardship team at Biosphere@TOTABC.com.

Job Opportunity: TOTA Communications Coordinator (Summer Intern Program) | Apply by June 17

The Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) is seeking to hire a Communications Coordinator for a summer internship program. The Communications Coordinator will work with the Corporate Communications Specialist to support the Thompson Okanagan tourism industry communications by creating content for news updates, email newsletters, webpages, and social media content.

The position is based on a Canada Summer Jobs Grant and is limited to an 8-12 week internship, with the option to work remotely full-time or part-time from the TOTA office in Kelowna. The position also includes time as a Visitor Counsellor at the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Inspiration Centre located above Peachland on the Coquihalla Connector.

Candidates must be able to travel to the TOTA office, team events, and Tourism Inspiration Centre as needed.

Please send cover letter and resume to HR@TOTABC.com by June 17.

Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Reminder: Green Wine Future Virtual Conference, May 23-26

Green Wine Future Virtual Conference

May 23 - 26

North America Segment: Monday, May 23 | 2:00 - 6:30pm PT

Register with TOTA Discount Code

Registration for one day of the conference is $47 USD. Through TOTA’s partnership, Thompson Okanagan stakeholders get a 55% discount by using the code TOTA55.

Register →

About Green Wine Future

The Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) is taking part in the upcoming virtual Green Wine Future Conference from May 23 to May 26. The event is the most ambitious environmental conference ever organized for the global wine community and will launch as a fully online gathering.

The Green Wine Future Conference will address critical topics of sustainability, climate crisis, biodiversity, wine tourism, regenerative agriculture, carbon amelioration, hydric resources, energy efficiency and create truly green business opportunities to respond to current world conditions. Speakers will present information through video footage, documentaries, and live broadcasts from vineyards and wineries.

TOTA is supported by several provincial and regional funding partners, including Destination British Columbia and Wine Growers British Columbia; and host wineries who will showcase the Thompson Okanagan wine region: Mission Hill Family Estate Winery, CedarCreek Estate Winery, and Monte Creek Winery. Other Thompson Okanagan wineries are invited to participate and represent the Thompson Okanagan wine region by hosting a Green Wine Future Virtual Trade Booth.

Thompson Okanagan Wine for the Planet Documentary

The conference includes the premiere of the Wine for the Planet docuseries, including a short documentary about the Thompson Okanagan wine region unveiled on May 23. The docuseries shows the support of the wine industry towards the most sensitive parts of the planet such as ice caps and glaciers, rainforest, marine environments, and areas sensitive to flooding and water scarcity.

Register →

Watch Thompson Okanagan Press Conference Recording from April 20

TOTA and Wine for the Planet hosted a Special Press Event at the BC Wine Information Centre in Penticton on April 20.

Green Wine Future founder, Pancho Campo, shared his work around the world and offered insights of what to expect at this year's Green Wine Future Conference. Several industry leaders and enjoy a small sampling of some of the area's various wine varietals.

Watch Recording →

Fundraiser for Lytton by Fort Berens Estate Winery

Fort Berens Estate Winery is holding a fundraising campaign from June 3 to 12, 2022, with a goal to raise $125,000 for a dedicated legacy building project for the community of Lytton after a wildfire swept through the town on June 30, 2021.

To raise funds, Fort Berens is selling 120 cases of Special Edition "Lytton Strong” Pinot Gris. In addition, there will be a silent auction with unique and experiential items, a 50/50 raffle, and the opportunity to donate directly.

Fort Berens is currently seeking corporate sponsorships, donations for the silent auction, and volunteers to help with the fundraising campaign.

To get involved, email LyttonStrong@fortberens.ca.

Get a Free Listing on Canada's Garden Route & Directory

Destination Canada is a sponsor of the Year of the Garden 2022, which encourages the public to get out, explore, and enjoy Canada’s beautiful gardens and garden experiences again.

The Canadian Garden Council invites Canadians to connect with plants and communities by discovering new experiences and inspirations offered by garden destinations.

A Canadian Garden Route digital marketing and social media campaign stretching from June through August will encourage Canadians to travel.

Tourism and hospitality businesses that embrace gardens as part of their venue or thematically in service offerings, can register their business for free on the Live the Garden Life Directory.

• To be featured on Canada’s Garden Route, please contact: partnerships@GardenCouncil.ca for details.

• Enhance your social media activity by tagging posts with: #YearOfTheGarden #LivetheGardenLife 

View Website →

View Garden Route Directory →

Showcase Your Travel Package on Destination Canada Portal

Last year, Destination Canada launched a travel packages portal, where tour operators can upload travel packages to the Destination Canada consumer website.

The portal provides tour operators access to an engaged audience, which has resulted in conversions and bookings to destinations across the country. Since its launch in June 2021, the website has received more than 2.6M page views and generated over 230k leads to tour operators. Today, there is now a portal available for the US market.

If you have a travel package that you would like to share with domestic and US travellers, contact traveltrade@destinationcanada.com.

View Travel Package Listings →

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Nominate a Company for TIAC Canadian Tourism Awards 2022 | Submissions Close July 31

Nominate a deserving business, organization, or individual for the Canadian Tourism Awards, presented by the Tourism Industry Association of Canada.

The Canadian Tourism Awards are presented annually by TIAC to recognize success, leadership, and innovation in Canada's tourism industry and to reward those people, places, organizations, and events that have gone above and beyond to offer travellers superior tourism experiences in Canada. The Awards have become the standard of excellence for businesses and organizations in the travel industry, showcasing the Nation's best tourism products, services, and experiences.

With nine award categories, this year’s nomination portal is officially open and the awards will be presented on November 23 at the Westin Ottawa.

Categories include:

1. Indigenous Tourism Award

2. Sustainable Tourism Award

3. Innovator of the Year Award

4. Business of the Year Award

5. Small or Medium-Sized Business of the Year Award

6. Tourism Employee of the Year

7. Tourism Employer of the Year

8. Travel Media Award

9. Business Event Award

Learn More →

Submit Nomination →

Wines of BC Quarterly Report - Jan - March 2022

Wines of British Columbia has just released its Q4 report, which is also a summary of the fiscal year for the organization.

The 21 page report outlines the strategic goals, objectives, and results of three key areas of concentration from April 2021 through to March 2022.

View Report →

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Discover Naramata Brand Launches "Small Town, Big Mood"

Discover Naramata launched a new brand that captures the magic of the winding road, rolling vineyards, and unique personality of Naramata.

As explained, "Naramata — Bench and Village — is a unicorn of a place, deserving of a destination marketing organization that reflects all the qualities that make it so special".

Over the last two years, a team of local industry veterans in tourism, hospitality, food, wine, and retail committed to making Discover Naramata more relevant, effective, and useful for the community.

Through research and consultation with local business owners, residents, employees, and visitors, a broad range of perspectives was considered. This fresh look launched on May 11 introduced the new logo and brand colours and will be rolled out in stages over the next year. It builds upon a recent update in the organization’s funding model aimed at greatly enhancing the visitor experience.

View Discover Naramata Website →

"Do the Shu" New Shuswap Destination Website

The South Shuswap Chamber of Commerce launched a new website on May 6 at its annual Tourism Kickoff Breakfast. The website was developed in collaboration with the Chase Chamber of Commerce and the North Shuswap Chamber of Commerce.

The website is an economic development initiative for the western gateway to the Shuswap, developed through grants received from the Government of Canada, the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association, and the Economic Trust of the Southern Interior.

The website has been introduced to inform residents or visitors of the area and to ensure their time spent in the region will meet or exceed their expectations.

View Announcement →

View Website →

Tourism Week in Canada - May 29 - Jun 4, 2022

Tourism Week in Canada is back again from May 29-June 4, 2022, and the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) is recognizing the importance of the industry and the resilience of its workers by calling on all Canadians to TRAVEL NOW - for work, life, and play!

TIAC is asking for your support to champion local tourism destinations, businesses, and employees by lighting up your business in Tourism Week’s “Glowing Green” (colour hex code: #8BC53F) all week long.

Learn More →

Employer Toolkit: Attract and Integrate Internationally Trained Employees in South Okanagan Similkameen

Skilled immigrants can help businesses access new customers and international markets, enrich organizational culture, and spark innovation.

South Okanagan Immigrant & Community Services (SOICS) created an Employer Toolkit to help employers Attract and Integrate Internationally Trained Employees in South Okanagan-Similkameen. The toolkit contains resources to help with navigating the complex system of accessing various streams of immigrants, attracting immigrants to your workplace, and helping them and your business succeed together by creating welcoming environments.

Access Toolkit →

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