On April 24 more than 40 stakeholders celebrated the launch of the Similkameen Valley's new destination marketing.

Communities throughout the Thompson Okanagan will share nearly a quarter million dollars in provincial matching funds for eligible tourism activities to promote local tourism – the most money given to any of B.C.'s six tourism regions in the Community Tourism Opportunities (CTO) program for 2012-13.

Over 50 Similkameen Valley tourism stakeholders gathered in Princeton June 6th to hear the highlights of the newly developed Tourism Action Plan for the Valley. Presented by Thompson Okanagan Tourism, the Plan is the first of its kind for the Valley.

Summer is in full swing and everyone in the tourism industry in the Thompson Okanagan is busy, but TOTA Community Development Specialist Simone Carlysle-Smith is reminding people that if they want to take advantage of two high-quality tourism professional development workshops this summer, now is the time to book the w…

TOTA recently took the opportunity to connect with local government leaders from across the Thompson Okanagan and remind them of tourism's key role in the economy and the need to work together to develop and grow the industry.

TOTA Community Development Specialist Simone Carlysle-Smith was recently a guest speaker at instructor Barbara Smith's community development class in the B.C. Institute of Technology's Tourism Management program. In her hour-and-a-half session at the Burnaby BCIT campus in April, she gave the group of about 50 students…

In early April, TOTA Community Development Specialist Simone Carlysle-Smith spent a full day meeting in Vancouver with her counterparts from the other five tourism regions in the province and with Tourism BC officials in the Community Development area.

The first valley-wide tourism plan in the Thompson Okanagan is now being developed for the Similkameen Valley – with a draft plan expected in May and a number of action initiatives to follow later in 2012.

TOTA Community Development Specialist Simone Carlyle-Smith notes that three community tourism-related organizations in the region recently hired new senior staff to manage their tourism development and marketing duties.

A growing number of communities, tourism businesses and organizations around the Thompson Okanagan are taking the initiative to learn more about social media and how to manage their online presence in a positive way – improving their reputation, building loyalty and increasing sales.

Communities in the Thompson Okanagan are identifying projects in preparation for Tourism BC's Community Tourism Opportunities (CTO) program 'expression of interest' intake period for projects for the 2012-13 fiscal year. Communities are being urged to submit their EOIs by the Feb. 29 deadline.

TOTA Community Development Specialist Simone Carlysle-Smith – who recently unveiled a series of resource documents for community tourism stakeholders throughout the Thompson Okanagan – says the new Community Development section on TOTA's website will serve as the vital hub where stakeholders can find links to a growing…

TOTA Community Development Specialist Simone Carlysle-Smith will be leading the team for the new project to create an Online Tourism Resource Centre in the TOTA website over the next year.

Laura Plant, of Tourism BC Community Partnerships, and Simone Carlysle-Smith, Community Development Specialist for Thompson Okanagan Tourism, joined West Kelowna and Peachland tourism stakeholders on Dec. 7 for the region's first Online Reputation Management workshop, held at the Cove Resort in West Kelowna.

On Nov. 2, just prior to the start of the 2011 Thompson Okanagan Tourism Summit, TOTA Community Development Specialist Simone Carlysle-Smith hosted her second annual Community Forum, giving local tourism leaders from throughout the Region a chance to meet, hear updates about resources available to them from TOTA and To…

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TOTA has a program area dedicated to Community Development, led by Community Development Specialist Simone Carlysle-Smith.

Community Development Specialist Simone Carlysle-Smith hosted a Community Quiz at TOTA’s Annual Golf Tournament on Sept. 1 at the Vernon Golf & Country Club. Tournament participants had an opportunity to test their knowledge of the Thompson Okanagan region with a Unique Features Quiz, to win prize baskets donated by t…