Marketing Initiatives

The University of British Columbia has brought in specialists to conduct a pair of tourism courses on 'Festivals, Events and Eventful Communities' and 'Cultural Tourism: Impacting Communities Worldwide.'

The province of British Columbia announced the 26th annual Canada's West Marketplace trade show will take place in Whistler from November 25 to 28 next year.

Recently Green Tourism UK expanded their auditing and inspection service to begin certifying businesses within Canada and British Columbia is the province where that program is gaining traction. The Canadian branch is known as Green Tourism Canada.

TOTA flew the Thompson Okanagan flag at this year's edition of the biggest annual Canadian event for U.S. travel media. North American Market Experiences Specialist Ellen Walker-Matthews had a full slate of appointments at the 2012 Canada Media Marketplace, held in April in San Francisco.

TOTA has unveiled the latest version of its annual Thompson Okanagan Travel Experiences Guide, revealing a vibrant new approach designed to produce more interest from travellers and more business for the region's tourism industry.

Thompson Okanagan Tourism is pleased to provide various partnered programs throughout the year – including the latest seven, listed below.

TOTA took full part in the world's leading travel-trade show in early March, attending ITB Berlin to display the attractions of the Thompson Okanagan and meet with a number of key international travel operators.

With hosting support from TOTA, the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) recently presented a free 'Explorer Quotient®' workshop in Kelowna to 50 Thompson Okanagan Tourism stakeholders to help them learn how to incorporate EQ techniques into their marketing.

In recent weeks TOTA Market Development staff have been busy – hosting visiting travel trade and media representatives and attending a major travel media event in Vancouver.

In late January, TOTA International Marketing Experiences Specialist Howard Grieve hosted Australian travel writer and blogger Ben Groundwater during his stop in our region.

The latest in TOTA's ongoing series of major seasonal marketing campaigns was recently launched, and TOTA's Marketing staff remind stakeholders across the region that they can sign up to participate in these increasingly effective web-based campaigns at any time during the year.

Thompson Okanagan Tourism stakeholders have a number of exclusive reduced-cost opportunities to get their message out to the Alberta and B.C. travel markets this spring through co-op marketing supported by funding from Tourism BC.

TOTA recently flew the Thompson Okanagan tourism flag at two of the biggest travel shows held each year in the United States.

From Jan. 10-16, three German travel journalists were hosted by TOTA, Tourism BC, and the Canadian Tourism Commission on a visit to experience winter adventure in the Thompson Okanagan region.

TOTA's Market Development staff were extremely busy this fall hosting a number of familiarization tours for domestic and international travel media representatives, helping to get the word out about the world-class destinations across the Thompson Okanagan.

TOTA's Market Development staff were extremely busy this fall hosting a number of familiarization tours for international travel trade representatives, in addition to the many other FAMs they hosted for travel media journalists.

TOTA was on-hand – along with representatives of Tourism BC, Tourism Kelowna, Tourism Kamloops, and representatives of other regions and destinations in the province – to make a presentation at the ‘Discover BC’ show for the travel trade, held in Richmond on Aug. 31.

TOTA is promoting the availability of Consumer Show Funding and an upcoming LinkedIn Workshop. See the story for details.

The TOTA Market Development team hosted a number of Media FAM tours in the region in recent weeks. See the story for details.

TOTA's Market Development Specialists team hosted a number of Travel Trade FAM tours in the region in recent weeks. See the story for details.

The 2012 Vacation Guide has you covered... Online, in Social Media and in Print!