NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: Wednesday, June 30, 2010

THOMPSON OKANAGAN TOURISM SIGNS LANDMARK AGREEMENT WITH TRU

The 3,200 businesses, attractions and organizations that together make up the Thompson Okanagan’s tourism sector will soon be able to benefit from a new regional focus on research.

To facilitate this initiative, new ties have been forged between Thompson Okanagan Tourism (TOTA) and the Kamloops-based Thompson Rivers University.

Chief Executive Officer Glenn Mandziuk says TOTA has signed an agreement to partner with TRU’s School of Tourism, paving the way for collaboration on a number of initiatives and research projects on topics of mutual interest.

“We are deeply honoured and pleased to form this partnership with TRU, which signifies the start of a new, proactive research strategy for TOTA on behalf of all of our stakeholders,” Mandziuk says. “We are looking forward to working closely with the scholars at TRU’s School of Tourism to apply the best practices in academic research and gain better insight into the challenges facing everyone in our region’s tourism industry.”

He says the data collected through projects with TRU will give TOTA and its stakeholders a stronger foundation for determining future directions and improvements. “It is partnerships like this that will ensure our collective success, by maximizing our respective resources.”

Dr. Rob Hood, Chair of TRU’s Tourism Management Program, says, “We at the TRU School of Tourism are extremely pleased with the opportunity to work more closely with the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association. The Memorandum of Understanding further actions our vision to engage regional tourism businesses, organizations, and communities in tourism education at TRU.” Hood adds, “This action will keep us closer to the issues regionally, and ensure our education and research is relevant to managing, developing, and sustaining the Thompson-Okanagan region as a spectacular tourist destination and wonderful place to live.”

Mandziuk notes that TOTA and TRU have already embarked on a pilot project with communities in the Shuswap/North Thompson area to establish a “master inventory database” which will help to profile a number of communities and sub-regions.

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FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:
Glenn Mandziuk, Chief Executive Officer
Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA)
Tel: 250-860-5999, Email: ceo@totabc.com

TOTA is an industry-led organization which promotes the development of tourism products and the tourism industry in the Thompson Okanagan, and which assists with the implementation of Provincial tourism policies in the region. Its mission is 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.