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A Message from your CEO
We at TOTA have been busy with calculators, computers, charts and graphs…it is ‘planning time.’ We have completed the region’s business plan for 2008/09, and there are a record number of co-op funding opportunities for members. Some of the key areas of focus include golf marketing and the development of a region-wide golf trail; the implementation of our healthy-vacation program, Living Well, the expansion of wine and ski tourism and working with the region’s communities to develop strong product for the touring market. The total co-op program budget for next year is over $2.4 million. We had a record turnout for this year’s annual golf tournament, and everyone was treated royally at The Okanagan Golf Resort on The Quail course. Many thanks to the Grand Okanagan Resort for the delicious crab legs during dinner. We haven’t finalized details for 2008’s event, but we may be heading south…more details to follow. On a final note, here’s a little market update from Asia. Jackie Frederick, our Director of Sales, and yours truly, recently attended shows in Korea and Japan. The Korean market is very strong for Canada, fueled in part by a strong economy and very low jobless rate. Korean trends for BC in particular include more upscale programs, with an emphasis on FIT. A unique market within Korea includes Mothers and Daughters traveling together – great news for the Thompson Okanagan, where we have plenty of product to appeal to these potential guests. In Japan, the market appears to be turning the corner, and Jackie reported that meetings with over 60 tour operators were far more optimistic than she had anticipated. To all of our members, our sincere thanks for your continued involvement and support. Have a great winter! Deanna Rainey, CEO Marketing Update And the winner is...........
-------------------------------------- Upcoming events/Opportunities:
Sales contact: Elizabeth Brown at ebrown@bcosportfishing.com or 604-464-3873. -------------------------------------- Other Announcements: The Marketing Department has received the new Regional Graphic Standards Manual from Tourism BC. The manual has been updated to include more variety of acceptable uses for regional and TBC graphics in advertising as well as applications for new media such as internet marketing. All co-op marketing/advertising pieces must be approved by TOTA before publication and it is ideal to have your creative personnel contact TOTA, in advance, for guidance on using graphics. Contact: Alison Steward - Marketing Manager at: asteward@totabc.com or 250-860-5999. Media Relations Update TOTA has a thriving Media Relations Program, as evidenced by the 40 media FAMS hosted so far this year with the winter/ski season just gearing up! Many of these FAMS have already resulted in stories/coverage in our target markets. Check out all the media coverage the region has been receiving… www.totabc.com/trellis/recent_coverage TOTA would be hard-pressed to host these journalists and writers without the continued support of Tourism BC, our community partners and member product suppliers. Your continued assistance in helping us promote the region is truly appreciated.
Travel Trade Update We made it through our busy fam tour season. With only our Canada's West Marketplace post fam remaining on the books for 2007, we will have organized 16 tours to our region.
We would like to thank over 40 members who supported our fam tours of the region by providing complimentary or reduced rate products. We appreciate your assistance as it makes our budget go further and also provides us with more opportunities to showcase the Thompson Okanagan. In addition to fams, we have also attended in the last four months:
-------------------------------------- KOREA MARKET UPDATE The following information is a compilation of Korean outbound travel news we returned with from the Showcase Korea Trade Show and have updated to our files:
-------------------------------------- www.expedia.ca – One of the most visited travel booking websites in Canada. Thompson Okanagan Tourism has been in discussion with Expedia in an effort to further promote the region through this very successful travel website. They have asked TOTA to connect them with members who would benefit from a listing on the Expedia site. If you are interested and would like to learn more, please contact Jackie Frederick, TOTA Director of Sales at jfrederick@totabc.com. Advertising Banner Opportunities on the TOTA Home Page
If you haven’t checked out our website recently, we encourage you to do so! Our re-designed home page, along with easier navigation, make this site the preeminent location for Thompson Okanagan tourism information.
For sales and information, contact mprodan@totabc.com.
AC Tourism Solutions Many small to medium size business owners wish to have the resources to take their marketing and sales plans to the next level. Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, this is not always possible. Drawing from over 15 years experience in the tourism industry, Anne Nicolson has launched a new consulting business called “AC Tourism Solutions” to address these and other concerns business operators face on a regular basis. You can reach Anne at 250-578-8005 or at acnicolson@yahoo.ca Nominations for the 9th Annual British Columbia Tourism Awards
Nominate an Outstanding Tourism Business Today Do you know of a tourism business practicing industry excellence? Be sure to nominate them because Tourism British Columbia and the Council of Tourism Associations (COTA) are calling for nominations for the 2008 Tourism Industry Awards, which will take place on February 21, 2008 at the Sheraton Wall Centre in Vancouver. Here are the categories:
Please visit the Tourism BC website for further information on award nomination forms and criteria at www.tourismbc.com. Previous nominees may resubmit as appropriate. Winners will be selected and honoured at the Ninth Annual British Columbia Tourism Awards held during the BC Tourism Industry Conference in Vancouver. For more information on the BC Tourism Industry Conference, visit www.bctourismindustryconference.ca. Deadline for nominations is December 21, 2007. TOURISM BRITISH COLUMBIA, SUPERHOST and all associated logos and trademarks are registered trademarks of Tourism British Columbia. Valemount has gained a $260,000 share of the provincial government's revenue from the hotel room tax to fund major improvements to a village tourism attraction. The money will be used to breathe new life into the Cranberry Marsh-Starratt Wildlife Sanctuary and provided to the community of 1,200 people over a period of five years. The funds will be used to build new trails into new habitat, complete the circle route and upgrade existing trails for wheelchair accessibility. As well, two new seasonal festivals will be launched: the Valemount Bird Watching Festival and an annual Winter Festival. During the official announcement, Community Services Minister Ida Chong remarked that “Resort municipalities like Valemount have unique demands and a limited tax base, but this agreement gives those communities additional resources for new local projects and amenities”. Under the revenue sharing program, an eligible community receives an amount based on a formula that takes into account the level of tourist accommodation in the community, relative to other BC communities. To be eligible, municipalities must have tourism economies or be designated as a “mountain resort municipality” under the Local Government Act. Communities must also put in place an additional two per cent hotel room tax, prepare a resort development strategy that reflects the input of stakeholders and enter into a five-year agreement that sets out what will be achieved through revenue sharing. The town of Osoyoos is also negotiating a similar cost sharing agreement for funding from the provincial government. Changes Announces Regarding Hiring Temporary Foreign Workers
The improvements to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program include a Pilot Project that will allow employers, who are pre-authorized, to expedite the process which it takes to obtain approval to hire foreign workers in several key tourism & hospitality occupations. The tourism occupations included as part of the Pilot Project:
The Pilot Project is a two-step process:
Why is the Project important?
In a separate, yet related announcement Service Canada has also announced that they have updated the Regional Occupations Under Pressure List, which reduces the amount of time it takes for an employer to hire a foreign worker. The 7 tourism positions that are listed as part of the above Temporary Foreign Worker Program Pilot Project (E-LMO) are also listed in the 13 tourism positions that are now a part of the Regional Occupations Under Pressure List. Employers wishing to hire foreign workers for occupations that appear on the Under Pressure List will only be required to conduct advertising efforts for 1 week on the Service Canada Job Board and another appropriate website, newspaper, etc. Employers hiring for these occupations will still need to comply with all other Foreign Worker Program requirements. The tourism occupations now included in the Occupations Under Pressure list include:
Please contact John Leschyson, Director, Industry Human Resource Development at: 604-633-9787 ext. 225 or via email at: jleschyson@go2hr.ca if you would like more information. Human Resources Survey Provides Some Interesting Recommendations By now, we’ve all heard how the skills labour shortage is affecting many business practices. Perhaps you’re a business that has experienced first hand difficulties in replacing staff or increasing levels of staff. A survey completed earlier this year of Vancouver employers acknowledges many of the problems causing the shortfall of qualified employees but it also highlights several recommendations for employers aimed at reducing the impact of mid to senior level management loss. ISIC – The International Student Identity Card
ISIC at a Glance
ISIC in Canada
Interested in more information about accessing the valuable student market through ISIC? Contact Sherry Brown, ISIC Manager for Canada, at 416-966-2887 ext. 216 or sbrown@travelcuts.com. A snapshot of overnight customs entries to BC and Canada in August and year to date. Australia up, Taiwan down, India up, United Kingdom up…read more TOTA Audited Report The Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association’s audited report for the year ending March 31, 2007 is available for viewing. If you would like a copy, please contact Lynne Struth at 250-860-5999 or lstruth@totabc.com |
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Nominations for Tourism Awards Changes for Hiring Temporary Workers International Student Identity Card
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Did summer seem to go by in a flash, or was it just me? Most of TOTA’s 400+ members are reporting that in terms of tourism revenues, the summer of 2007 was a success. We’ve seen increased revenues on average throughout the region of almost 8 per cent. Of equal importance, the ‘peak’ season is strong through September. It wasn’t too long ago that spring and fall fit squarely in the ‘shoulder season’ category, but this is changing in the Thompson Okanagan.
Elizabeth Moniz is the winner of TOTA’s prize package offered with the CanWest Global Newspaper and TV campaign in September. A Richmond resident, 23 year old Elizabeth works as an office assistant for PCL Constructors and she enjoys interior decorating and travel. Elizabeth and a guest were treated to winery tours, a dinner at Sumac Ridge Winery, lunch at the Toasted Oak, and accommodation provided by The Cove Lakeside Resort. The six Tourism Regions participated in the Best Place 2007 campaign and provided prize packages for six contest winners.
Of special interest to all Members providing services for the Fishing Sector: For the first time, the great fishing experiences found throughout the Thompson Okanagan will be featured in detail in the 2008 Special Edition of the BC Outdoors Sport Fishing magazine. TOTA will have a multi-page co-op section with publication in January 2008. 110,000 copies of this leading, fishing destination guide will be distributed to subscribers throughout BC and the US Pacific Northwest and available at consumer shows in Western Canada.
We were blessed with beautiful weather for our 8th annual member’s golf tournament held on The Quail Course at the Okanagan Golf Resort in Kelowna. Over 120 golfers and volunteers braved the pesky wasps (and for some their unfortunate stings!) on a picture perfect Thompson Okanagan day. The golf tournament was followed by a barbeque dinner, prizes and awards for the winners and losers. If someone walked away without a prize or award, the opportunity to be out in the fresh air and sunshine while networking and mingling with industry colleagues was reward enough. Once again, the event seems to excel every year from the hard work put in by board members, volunteers and staff. This is a perfect segue for handing out thanks and congratulations to those who assisted us in hosting the event and for those who took away bragging rights.
