Kelowna 2025
TOTA AGM & Summit
“New Routes, Bold Futures: Navigating Tourism’s Transformation”
Recap of the 2025 TOTA AGM & Summit
TOTA was thrilled to host an engaged group of tourism professionals gathered on October 22 & 23, 2025 in Kelowna, BC to participate in our annual AGM & Summit. Twenty-four speakers and panelists shared insights on topics including travel trade, wellness, culinary, and agritourism, technology and transportation, data and research, and the current state and transformation of tourism.
This year’s theme, New Routes, Bold Futures: Navigating Tourism’s Transformation, was an invitation to all of those in the industry to explore and embrace the changes of tourism with a bold and forward-thinking approach.
The AGM
The Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) Annual General Meeting (AGM) was held on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, at the KF Centre for Excellence, in Kelowna, BC.
The meeting reviewed the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025, including a presentation of the Audited Financial Statements, Governance Report, and TOTA Annual Activities, as well as the announcement of the Board Election Results.
Navigating Tourism’s Transformation - Opening Day 1 Panel
Nick Grant, Sam Samaddar, Alison McKay, and Walt Judas started off the TOTA Summit with a panel discussion focused on the transformation of tourism and the tourism industry. All panelists touched on tourism being an industry that is free from the threat of tariffs, and the potential for tourism as an export-ready industry. Nick, Walt, and Alison all spoke to tourism's potential, and the opportunities within the industry, including: marketing, destination access, event hosting, investment attraction, and the ease of doing business. An overarching observation was that BC’s visitor economy has contributed more to the provincial GDP than many other sectors of the economy, with a projected 2% increase in 2025 and 3% increase in 2026. Sam finished out the first panel of day 1 speaking of the legacy of Barry Lapointe and the KF Centre for Excellence. He also spoke of the Kelowna Airport’s (YLW) history, which started in 1946, how it became instrumental in making Kelowna “a community of note”, and continuous growth, now servicing cities from around the world.
The Welcome Reception
Tourism Kelowna welcomed us all onboard with a harvest-themed Welcome Reception in the right hangar at the KF Centre for Excellence. The hangar was transformed into a market-styled gathering where attendees enjoyed an evening reflecting on the first panel of the Summit while reconnecting with industry partners from around the region. After welcoming remarks from Lisanne Ballantyne, President and CEO of Tourism Kelowna, Ellen Walker-Matthews, TOTA CEO, and Rick Webber, City of Kelowna City Councillor, attendees enjoyed offerings from local partners, including: The Boho Sketch Co, Farming Karma Fruit Company Ltd, Flash & Frame, Iconic Wineries of British Columbia, Jason Parkes Customs, Okanagan Spirits Craft Distillery, and TJ's Grazing. The Reception’s success was supported by corporate sponsors Perspective Events Inc, New Horizon Productions, Acera Insurance, and BigSteelBox.
The Summit
On Thursday, October 23, 200+ tourism industry professionals gathered upstairs at the KF Centre for Excellence to enjoy the 2025 TOTA Summit.
The day began with a clip from The Jetsons to help usher in the transportation and bold futures theme, and Ellen Walker-Matthews welcomed all attendees back for day 2, commenting on the KF Centre inspiring a futuristic setting with Jetsons-style robotics.
Opening Keynote
Krystal Withakay opened the Summit by speaking about her upbringing and the transformation of her life into becoming a sylix knowledge keeper. Krystal explained to the group that travel has always been fundamental to Indigenous nations, both as a necessity for trade, and also as an outlet for children to learn about what gifts they could bring to the community. Krystal underscored the importance of collaboration, noting that while many in the audience regularly worked with Indigenous people, far fewer Indigenous individuals were actually present in the room. Krystal wrapped up her keynote address with an important message about the essential nature of visiting just to visit, and about how important our connections are, both personally and professionally.
Beyond the Bookings - Welcoming Travel Trade
Colin Brost, Kimo Linders, Katrin Coldwell, and Greg Hopf sat down with panel moderator Tracy Ziesberger to explain what the travel trade industry is, and how the Thompson Okanagan tourism industry can get involved. The panel explained that travel trade is a business-to-business connection that opens up different markets and distribution channels while taking the pressure out of things like developing contracts, navigating different languages and cultures. The panel echoed that tourism is an export ready product, and the travel trade is a way to get that product out to different markets. They also described how Registered Tour Operators (RTOs) break the barriers and do the heavy lifting of getting people out to the region, into accommodations, and experiencing the destination. The panel explored the differences between local and international travellers, with international travellers being committed to attending, looking for authentic experiences, being easier on hotel rooms, thankful for opportunities, having a high impact on community, and spending money in shops and eating locally. The panel concluded by answering lots of insightful and eager questions about travel trade and how our region can get more involved.
Okanagan Gondola Announcement
Rupert Harper, the General Manager of the Okanagan Gondola, made an announcement about the upcoming Okanagan Gondola project, and the attractions it will bring to the North Okanagan.
Rethinking Transportation & Technology in the Thompson Okanagan
Jim Moroz, Gord Lovegrove, Peter Pilarski, and Chris Lewis sat down with panel moderator Rodney Payne to discuss the current state of transportation and technology in the region. The panelists discussed the importance of moving travellers within the region once they are here, and the challenges that come with this movement. Gord Lovegrove discussed the opportunities that Hydrogen Rail Transit could bring to the region, not only for those visiting here, but for locals as well, freeing up space on already congested infrastructure. While other challenges with transportation and technology were discussed by the panel as a whole, the entire panel offered insights on current innovations that can involve technology and transportation providers., like the Kamloops Airport’s current involvement in providing the aircraft base for the BC Wildfire Service, serve as a reminder that getting involved in local community projects can be a solution.
Biosphere Companies Presentation
Following a short presentation from Harshit Srivastava on FortisBC Energy Solutions, Eve Layman and Mike Overend presented about the TOTA Biosphere Commitment Program and Eve presented the following Biosphere Certified companies with window clings to commemorate their commitment to sustainable tourism initiatives and their recent certification through the program:
BC Wildlife Park
Destination Silver Star
YKA Kamloops Airport
Tourism Kamloops
Watermark Beach Resort
KF Centre For Excellence
TOTA Inspiration Centre
Elevating Your Offering through Culinary, Wellness & Agritourism
Jessica Dolan, Janice Taylor, Aggie Weighill, Rebecca MacKenzie and Eliana Bray sat down with panel moderator Ellen Walker-Matthews to talk about the latest trends in tourism and what travellers are looking for when they go to destinations. The panel discussed the current state of “wellness” travellers, a group of people who seek out emotional, spiritual, and physical health and wellness. The discussion is that these are customers who don’t stop their day-to-day habits while they travel; they have a desire to cook and eat locally, they have a connection to local producers, and they are turning away from technology and towards immersive physical and cultural experiences. The panel discussed how innovation in this sector is essential, as wellness travellers are not looking for one-off experiences, but rather a fully realized program that offers an opportunity for tourism providers in the region. They spoke to the importance of sharing stories, and how it will take investment from all levels to make this possible. The panel concluded by answering audience questions regarding the current trends and how to take advantage of the opportunities within this space.
What is The Value of Tourism - Research & Economic Impacts
Jennifer Horsnell, Walt Judas, Jennifer Robins, and Rhys Laug sat down with panel moderator Robb MacDonald to talk about the value of research in tourism. The panel discussed tourism’s recognition as a serious economic driver and how factors like geopolitical issues can impact the economic state. Findings from 2022 were presented showing that overall revenue in direct visitor spending was 22.7 billion dollars in BC; however, the panel also discussed limitations with these and other figures . Despite these challenges, the panel all agreed that data in tourism is incredibly relevant and important, but we need to be cautious in using data so that we ensure we are getting correct statistics out to our audiences and partners in a credible way. The panel concluded by discussing the opportunity of tourism and how it can be seen as a solution to current economic challenges as tourism has not felt the impacts of tariffs in the same way that other industries have.
Closing Keynote - Leveraging Travel Insights to Attract High-Value Travelers Beyond Our Backyard
Jocelyn Cook and Jimmy Cleovoulo closed out the 2025 Summit by presenting travel insights from Expedia that can assist in attracting high-value travelers. Both speakers spoke to evolving traveller trends and behaviours, including the changing motivations behind why people travel.
AGM & Summit 2025 Location Announcement
TOTA is pleased to announce that the 2026 AGM & Summit will be held in Kamloops, BC, in partnership with Tourism Kamloops.