The Thompson-Okanagan has won a three-year bid to host the World Travel Awards, marking the first time that the awards will be held in Canada.
Predator Ridge Resort in Vernon will host the first year, welcoming more than 300 international delegates at the North American Gala Ceremony in October 2020 as part of the World Travel Awards Grand Tour.
The host cities for the second and third years will be announced in spring 2020 and spring 2021. The event will place the Thompson-Okanagan region and its communities firmly on the world stage as delegates from global airlines, tour operators, travel agents, international media, and hospitality professionals travel to the region for the awards ceremony. Previous host cities and regions include New York, Montego Bay, Orlando, Turks and Caicos, the Bahamas, and Antigua.
TOTA is a two-time recipient of North America’s Responsible Tourism Award (2018 and 2019), and was named the winner of the prestigious World’s Responsible Tourism Award at the 25th annual World Travel Awards last year in Lisbon, Portugal. TOTA president and CEO Glenn Mandziuk recognizes the impact an opportunity like this affords the region as a whole.
“We are so honoured to welcome such a prestigious event to the Thompson-Okanagan, and look forward to hosting international tourism industry leaders in Vernon. This would not have been possible without the support of our stakeholder and community partners, and it is a privilege to share our region with the world.”
Graham Cooke, the founder of the World Travel Awards, said “We are deeply honoured to host our North America Gala Ceremony 2020 in Thompson-Okanagan. This fascinating region of British Columbia is leading the way in sustainable tourism practice and serving as a benchmark of how to preserve Mother Nature for the benefit of future generations.”
He added “Thompson-Okanagan is blessed with overwhelming beauty. I look forward to welcoming the most senior decision-makers of North America’s travel industry for what promises to be a most memorable ceremony in this phenomenal region.”
The World Travel Awards (WTA) were established in 1993 to acknowledge, reward, and celebrate excellence across all sectors of the tourism industry. Today, the WTA brand is recognized globally as the ultimate hallmark of quality, with winners setting the benchmark to which all others aspire.
Each year, WTA covers the globe with a series of regional gala ceremonies staged to recognize and celebrate individual and collective success within each key geographical region. For more information, visit www.worldtravelawards.com.
editorial@accjournal.ca
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