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The CEO of the Thompson Okanagan Tourist Association (TOTA) says the authentic Thompson Okanagan local experience remains a draw to attract tourists.
According to Ellen Walker-Matthews, British Columbia’s industry focused on Indigenous cultures prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, respecting the local environment and creating interactive experiences with local communities while creating sustainable experiences. It was built on the concept of a possible tourism business practice.
“In terms of authenticity, we don’t want it to be like Disneyland,” Walker-Matthews said.
“We want to make sure our tourism story is rooted in our region’s history and stay focused on that.”
TOTA has been at the forefront of that movement, gaining international recognition from tourism advocacy groups and influencing the state government’s approach to boosting tourism through its Destination BC marketing campaign.
Today, in the aftermath of the pandemic, Walker-Matthews says these concepts remain central to local tourism promotion and are taking on new brandings as biosphere science.
Technically, biosphere science is a term that describes the field of knowledge that reflects the development and implementation of sustainable tourism practices, recognizing that the global ecosystem is made up of interconnected relationships. am.
“Moving to destination marketing is a business strategy as an organization … to ensure that we protect what we have today in terms of environmental sustainability so that people can live happily in the future. It is,” she said.
“The idea of the biosphere reflects our relationship with locals, visitors and the planet to keep things better.”
The concept of biosphere will be at the forefront and center of discussion at the TOTA Tourism Summit scheduled for February 22nd at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops.
Walker-Matthews said this year’s summit will move away from speech-hearing tourism stakeholders to address topics such as destination management, climate change response, access and inclusion, and indigenous tourism, both globally and regionally. Move on to more interactive sessions, including insights provided by key leaders. .
“This year, we want to make it an immersive event, not just for people to talk to you, and give attendees the opportunity to learn ideas they can take and implement in their own businesses,” she said.
On February 21st, a social gathering will be held to kick off the summit, including attendees from the Scotties Tournament of Hearts National Women’s Curling Finals, also in Kamloops.
From a tourism business perspective, Walker-Matthews said the 2022 tourism season had successfully recovered from COVID-19, with all signs pointing to another positive season for 2023. .
“2022 was a rebound year for us. Occupancy was slightly lower, but revenue increased due to higher rates.
“Our stakeholders are pretty happy with our summer months, but we continue to look for growth in the spring and fall months.”
Outdoor vacation experiences and the wine industry continue to be anchors for attracting visitors to the region from both across North America and Europe.
She said the Okanagan Rail Trail, much like the Kettle Valley Rail Trail, is still in its infancy as a signature for the region, but eventually Central Okanagan and Shuswap will grow.
City of Kelowna, Central Okanagan Regional District
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