THOMPSON OKANAGAN
TOURISM ASSOCIATION

NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: Saturday, November 14, 2009

TOURISM LEADERS CELEBRATE SUCCESS AND PLAN HOW TO KEEP THE INDUSTRY GROWING

Thompson Okanagan tourism leaders wrapped up a major two-day conference on the future of their industry Friday after celebrating the best of their own and arming themselves with the latest strategies to keep tourism growing. More than 180 delegates at the Nov. 12-13 Tourism Industry Summit – hosted in Kelowna by the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) – heard from international speakers about the challenges the industry faces and the strategies they must use to attract visitors to their areas from across Canada and around the world.\

TOTA Chair Michael J. Ballingall says the speakers – including a UK-based world tourism expert, the Canada Tourism Commission’s director of strategic marketing, and BC’s minister of tourism – provided invaluable, leading-edge information at this first annual Tourism Summit.

“Tourism operations and businesses throughout our region are doing wonderful things to attract travellers to our fantastic region, but we need the latest and best strategies so we can continue to compete and grow our industry,” Ballingall says. “These speakers engaged our TOTA stakeholders with insights that will help us map out a stronger future for our region.”

At the conference’s gala banquet, Ballingall presented three new TOTA awards to stakeholder organizations for outstanding performance in tourism. The Gold Country Communities Society, based in Cache Creek, won TOTA’s New Product Award for its “Gold Country GeoTourism Program”, an innovative initiative that gives tourists a fun experience that combines the growing activity of geocaching with an educational approach to local sights.

The Society researched the area’s early settlers, historic churches, gravesites, vistas, and geological features – then installed geocaches at a number of sites, published the locations in print and online, and invited the public to hike the area and find the geocaches. The program – the first of its kind in BC – was launched this summer and has proved to be a great success, attracting many additional visitors to the area.

“The Gold Country GeoTourism Program is a catalyst for growth in the TOTA region and has already shown to have increased tourism traffic, visitor counts and overnight stays,” Ballingall says. “Most importantly, the program attracts visitors to rural areas and small communities that previously struggled to provide a reason for travellers to stop.”

Tourism Kamloops won the Innovative Marketing Campaign Award for its “Mark Madryga – Kamloops’ Hometown Boy” campaign, which used the popular, high-profile Vancouver TV meteorologist as a celebrity ambassador in a 2009 marketing campaign for the Interior city where he was born and raised. Madryga appeared in Kamloops-based advertisements, householder mailings, enter-to-win contests, and he gave positive testimonials about his hometown during weather broadcasts.

“This campaign has been a huge success on many levels,” Ballingall says. “It matches a likeable personality with the Tourism Kamloops brand which presents Kamloops as a place that blends energizing recreational opportunities with a culture of warm, welcoming people, allowing visitors to let loose and just play.”

RPB Hotels & Resorts won the Tourism Industry Partner Award for demonstrating a commitment to the growth of tourism through outstanding contribution to the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association.

The company – which is owned by the Prystay family and operates the Penticton Lakeside Resort, the Kelowna Ramada Lodge, and the Best Western Vernon Lodge – works closely with TOTA to promote not just its own hotels but also tourism throughout the region. The company often hosts familiarization tours for visiting travel media and tour operators, actively participates in TOTA marketing programs, and attends overseas tourism marketing shows.

“The Prystays, along with the dedicated sales teams at each of their Okanagan hotels, have graciously provided complimentary rooms, meals and receptions for visiting tour operators and travel media – even during the very busy periods in July, August and October’s Fall Wine Festival,” Ballingall says. “The RPB hotels and resorts are strong contributors to their communities and their charitable contributions are second-to-none.”

TOTA held its annual general meeting during the Tourism Summit, hearing from Ballingall and TOTA Chief Executive Officer Glenn Mandziuk that the Association’s change this year from a “paid-member” to a “stakeholder” organization has increased its numbers from 370 members to more than 3,200 stakeholders.

They also noted that this year TOTA raised more than $250,000 in additional funding from private and public sources for development of the tourism industry in the Thompson Okanagan region. During the meeting, TOTA stakeholders approved audited financial statements showing the Association spent $2.5 million in 2008-09, the majority going for tourism marketing projects.

The TOTA meeting also heard the results of a region-wide online election for half of its 14-member Board of Directors. Seven board members are elected each year to two-year terms, providing for annual renewal of up to half of the board. Elected to the Board for two-year terms (2009-11) are: Christina Ferreira (Okanagan Wine Festival, Kelowna), Fred Legace (Kamloops Airport), Christopher Nicolson (Tourism Sun Peaks), Roger Sellick (Tourism Kelowna), Lisa Corcoran (Predator Ridge Resort), Judy Poole (Penticton & Wine Country Tourism), and Kelly Watt (Sandman Inn, Kelowna).
Continuing on the Board for the second year of their two-year terms (2009-10) are: Michael J. Ballingall (Big White & Silver Star Resorts, Kelowna), Chris Bower (NK’MIP Resort Association, Osoyoos), Joseph Dubois (Dubois Hospitality Group, Summerland), Stephen Earl (Hampton Inn, Kamloops), Ian Henson (Sun Rivers Golf Course, Kamloops), Ingrid Jarrett (Watermark Beach Resort, Osoyoos), and Lee Morris (Tourism Kamloops). Ballingall was again named Chair by fellow Board members. Bower was appointed Vice-Chair and Jarrett was appointed Secretary-Treasurer.

For more information, contact:
Michael J. Ballingall, Chair, TOTA Board of Directors Glenn Mandziuk, Chief Executive Officer, TOTA
Tel: 250-470-7350 Tel: 250-860-5999
Email: mballingall@bigwhite.com Email: gmandziuk@totabc.com

Board Photo: The 2009-10 Board of Directors for the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) is, left to right, BACK ROW: Kelly Watt (Sandman Inn, Kelowna), Christopher Nicolson (Tourism Sun Peaks), Ian Henson (Sun Rivers Golf), Stephen Earl (Hampton Inn, Kamloops), Joseph Dubois (Dubois Hospitality, Summerland), Roger Sellick (Tourism Kelowna), Christina Ferreira (Okanagan Wine Festival); FRONT ROW: Lee Morris (Tourism Kamloops), Chris Bower, TOTA Board Vice-Chair (NK’MIP Resort Association, Osoyoos), Judy Poole (Penticton & Wine Country Tourism), Michael J. Ballingall, TOTA Board Chair (Big White & Silver Star Resorts, Kelowna), Fred Legace (Kamloops Airport), Glenn Mandziuk, TOTA Chief Executive Officer (Kelowna), Lisa Corcoran (Predator Ridge Resort, Vernon), Ingrid Jarrett, TOTA Board Secretary-Treasurer (Watermark Beach Resort, Osoyoos).