Board of Directors | Bid Opportunties | Job Opportunities | Stakeholder Model | TOTA Staff

About TOTA

Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association's
Corporate Mandate
Inspired Navigation

A Message from the CEO and Chair

Corporate rebranding provides an interesting opportunity to reflect. After a year of significant change, we engaged in a conversation with many of you as our stakeholders in the rebranding process. The essence of your feedback was captured in the phrase Inspired Navigation. This phrase excites us and we are working hard to be truly relevant to over 3,000 stakeholders within the region.

Much has been accomplished since Thompson Okanagan Tourism moved from simply focusing on membership-based marketing, to being involved in a diverse range of activities designed to stimulate greater market awareness of the Region and tourism growth within the regional economy. It has been a fast-paced and exceptionally busy year as we have sought to increase our impact in the marketplace through innovative marketing strategies, while continuing to strengthen TOTA as an organization that can serve the diverse interests of all stakeholders.

One particular area of focus has been on establishing new partnerships. The momentum that can be gained through effective partnerships is significant and we are proud to be working closely with a number of corporate organizations to build a stronger tourism industry.

We, the TOTA Board and staff, look forward to continuing our efforts with pride – this is a unique international destination and we remain firmly committed to inspiring ongoing growth and recognition of the Thompson Okanagan region.


Glenn Mandziuk, CEO ceo@totabc.com	Ingrid Jarrett, Chair chair@totabc.com

Our Region

Over 3,200 stakeholders
Over 90 communities and hamlets
Rich diversity in landscapes
Wide array of visitor experiences
Almost $300 million per annum in room revenue from accommodation

What makes a tourism destination truly competitive is its ability to increase tourism expenditure, to increasingly attract visitors while providing them with satisfying, memorable experiences, and to do so in a profitable way, while enhancing the well-being of destination residents and preserving the natural capital of the destination for future generations. (Ritchie & Crouch, The Competitive Destination)

Our Strategic Focus

To create optimum relevance for our stakeholders through:

Implementing innovative marketing strategies and using new media channels to increase awareness of the Thompson Okanagan as a ‘must see now’ destination in all our target markets
Developing a Regional Tourism Strategy
Advocating for improved access to the region
Building new and strengthening existing partnerships and alliances that will facilitate growth in the tourism industry
Providing advisory services and resources that will assist individual operators, communities, sub-regions and sectors to further develop the region’s potential
Developing a research-based focus to facilitate sound decision-making
Building a cohesive, motivated and skilled team to work with our stakeholders

Our Recent Accomplishments

The management of over $3 million public and private funds for investment in tourism market and product development
A corporate branding process that positions TOTA as a regional destination management organization committed to leadership and innovation
The strategic integration of consumer marketing, travel trade marketing and media relations by geographic markets
The development of a campaign approach to provide stakeholders with presence in a high-impact, multi-platform advertising program that is designed to build shoulder and winter season travel and disperse visitors throughout the region
An emphasis on building effective partnerships. We are proud to be working with our multi-year DIAMOND partners: Air Canada, Britec, DARE, Kelowna International Airport, Resort TV Thompson Okanagan, TELUS, and Your Integrated Solutions; and our PLATINUM partners for this current year: Interior Savings Credit Union and Fortis BC
2011 Vacation Planners with an emphasis on highlighting the unique attributes of our sub-regions
Strong focus on working with communities through Tourism BC’s community programs
Key Events for 2011
- TOTA Golf Tournament: September 1, Vernon Golf Club
- TOTA Annual Summit: November 2-4, Delta Sun Peaks

Our Purpose

To sustain the Thompson Okanagan region as a competitive destination through setting strategic direction for the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association and working as a policy board to ensure the long-term viability of the Association.

The 2011/12 TOTA Board

Our Core Functions and Contacts

To increase awareness of our region and travel to our region from domestic / North American and international markets through:
- Our CONSUMER MARKETING programs and their focus on leisure travellers
- Our TRAVEL TRADE programs and their focus on creating international exposure of the region and connecting export ready product with wholesale buyers
- Our MEDIA RELATIONS programs and their focus on strengthening market awareness of the region as a preferred destination
- marketNA@totabc.com and marketINT@totabc.com
To increase competitiveness of individual communities through our COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT programs - community@totabc.com
To increase industry capacity and visitor appeal of the overall destination through our INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT programs - industry@totabc.com
To increase our consumer-centric focus and the region's appreciation of the value of tourism through our RESEARCH & MONITORING programs - research@totabc.com

To contact by telephone: 250-860-5999

Marketing North America, ext 215
Marketing International, ext 204
Community Development, ext 214
Industry Development, ext 209
Research, ext 208

Who we are

An industry-led organization that represents and supports all business and community tourism interests throughout the Thompson Okanagan, and acts as a representative for Tourism BC.

OUR VISION

To position Thompson Okanagan as a 'top-of-mind' destination offering exceptional year-round experiences for all travellers in our target markets.

OUR MISSION

To support the ongoing growth and sustainability of our tourism industry by establishing Thompson Okanagan Tourism as a champion of excellence and innovation in destination marketing, management and industry development.

OUR TARGET MARKETS

BC, Alberta, Washington, Ontario and long-haul international in UK, Germany, Australia and Netherlands. Secondary markets include California, Florida, North-Eastern USA, Asia Pacific and emerging South & Central America.

OUR KEY SECTORS

Touring (with particular focus on wine, culinary, health & wellness, Aboriginal culture and regional history) AND golf, ski, outdoor adventure, and festivals & events.

OUR CORPORATE VALUES

Encouraging creativity and innovation in developing a competitive destination
Developing working relations with stakeholders that are characterized by respect, integrity and transparency
Building supportive partnerships and a 'team-based' approach for the purpose of delivering excellent results
Facilitating business and community growth that is environmentally, culturally and economically sustainable
Respecting and responding to the issues and concerns of our stakeholders through developing effective engagement and communication with industry