Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA)

What Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) does

Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) is a non-profit Destination Management Organization (DMO) founded in 1965 and headquartered in Kelowna, British Columbia. It represents and develops the tourism industry across the Thompson Okanagan region, operating on the traditional territory of the Syilx, Secwépemc, and Nlaka'pamux peoples. The organization serves three primary stakeholder groups: tourism businesses in the region, 33 Indigenous communities across the Interior, and visiting travellers. Its service portfolio spans destination marketing, destination stewardship and development, industry training, research and data, the Biosphere Commitment sustainability certification program, the Tourism Inspiration Centre visitor hub on Highway 97C, the TOTA Foundation, and rail trail network development.

TOTA's core technology stack consists of standard digital marketing infrastructure — a website (totabc.org), social media management across Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, email newsletters, digital asset management, and paid advertising platforms. The organization has no proprietary software product, no mobile application, and no public APIs or integrations documented. Operational capabilities are augmented by a network of strategic partners, including Destination BC (provincial DMO), Indigenous Tourism British Columbia, Spinal Cord Injury BC (accessibility), Symphony Tourism Services (research data), GreenStep Solutions (climate action training), and various industry associations.

TOTA's business model is non-commercial: membership is provided free of charge to all tourism stakeholders, and revenue is not disclosed in available materials. As a DMO, TOTA is most likely funded through government grants and contributions from Destination BC, municipal partners, and project-specific sponsorships. GTM is sales-led in a stakeholder-engagement sense — relationship building with tourism operators, Indigenous communities, government agencies, and media — rather than transactional selling. Pricing is free for membership and fee-based only for ancillary programs (e.g., Biosphere certification, marketing placements at the Tourism Inspiration Centre).

Name

Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA)

Legal name

Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association

Website

https://totabc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) is a non-profit Destination Management Organization founded in 1965, serving tourism businesses, 33 Indigenous communities, and visitors across British Columbia's Thompson Okanagan region through marketing, training, research, and the Tourism Inspiration Centre visitor hub.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Destination Management Services

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Permitting, Reservations & Visitor Information Services (Passes, Booking, Visitor Centers) (THAAAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Accessibility & Inclusion Services (ADA Access, Adaptive Programs, Multilingual Support) (THAAAGAJ), Community-Based & Indigenous-Led Ecotourism (THAAAEAH), Indigenous & Community Cultural Institutions (THAJADAK)

Keywords

• Destination management services
• Tourism marketing
• Industry training
• Sustainability certification
• Visitor information services

Headquarters

HQ city

Kelowna

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Program: TOTA offers free membership to stakeholders in the Thompson Okanagan tourism industry, providing access to training, resources, networking, and marketing support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) is a regional destination management organization that delivers destination marketing, industry training and development, visitor information, sustainability certification, and tourism research services. It supports tourism businesses, Indigenous communities, and government agencies in the Thompson Okanagan region of British Columbia through membership, programs, and partnerships that drive sustainable tourism growth.

Product overview

Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) is a regional destination management organization founded in 1965 that offers a suite of services focused on sustainable tourism development. Rather than a unified software product, TOTA provides an integrated portfolio of programs including the Tourism Inspiration Centre visitor services, destination marketing, industry training through the Learning Centre, research and data services, the Biosphere Commitment Program for sustainability certification, destination development initiatives including accessible tourism and Indigenous tourism partnerships, the TOTA Foundation for community investment, and rail trail development and promotion. These services work together to position the Thompson Okanagan region as a premier sustainable travel destination while supporting local tourism businesses and communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Biosphere Commitment Program: Sustainability certification program for tourism businesses in the Thompson Okanagan region
• TOTA Foundation
• Tourism Inspiration Centre

Products and services

• Tourism Inspiration Centre A regional visitor services centre located on Highway 97C above Peachland that provides travel information, panoramic Okanagan Valley views, brochure racking, billboard opportunities, and pop-up event space for tourism businesses and visitors entering the region.
• Destination Marketing Services

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Indigenous Tourism British Columbia (ITBC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTOTA collaborates with Indigenous Tourism British Columbia (ITBC) to support Indigenous tourism development in the Thompson Okanagan region, working to develop economic opportunities while maintaining cultural authenticity.
• Spinal Cord Injury BCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in which TOTA's Regional Accessibility Specialist works to increase awareness and provide consultations to enhance accessible travel and tourism services, products, and experiences.
• Destination BCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvincial destination marketing organization that provides resources, learning materials, and crisis communications resources to support BC tourism industry.
• GreenStep SolutionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFree online climate action training program for Kelowna businesses in partnership with the City of Kelowna, grounded in the Climate Resilient Kelowna Strategy.
• BC Tourism Climate Resiliency Initiative (BCTCRI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Destination BC to conduct tourism climate adaptation and environmental sustainability business surveys and develop sustainability data frameworks.
• Tourism Industry Association of BC (TIABC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBC-wide tourism industry association providing advocacy, communications, and member services; TOTA supports membership surveys and conference participation.
• Culinary Tourism AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlliance supporting culinary tourism development; TOTA promotes membership surveys and Taste of Place Summit events.
• Outdoor Recreation Council of BC (ORCBC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBC recreation organization conducting resource road access survey to identify roads important for outdoor recreation access across the province.
• go2HRminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHR support transition announced for tourism industry; TOTA shares updates about HR support services for tourism businesses.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Tourism Whistler: Resort-based DMO with destination marketing, membership, training, and stewardship functions — closely aligned to TOTA's portfolio structure and a benchmark for BC resort-region destination management.
• Tourism Kelowna: Municipal destination management organization for Kelowna, operating in the same Thompson Okanagan region with overlapping marketing, stakeholder engagement, and visitor services functions. Listed as a TOTA customer, indicating direct operational overlap.
• Tourism Vancouver: Metro municipal DMO with a similar mandate of destination marketing, industry development, and stakeholder services, providing a benchmark for how a Canadian urban-region DMO structures its programs and stakeholder engagement.
• Banff & Lake Louise Tourism: Regional DMO for one of Canada's most visited destination regions; comparable business model combining destination marketing, sustainability programming (Banff Forever), Indigenous partnerships, and member services.
• Destination BC: Provincial DMO for British Columbia providing destination marketing, research, and crisis communications — TOTA's core upstream partner and the most directly comparable DMO peer at a larger geographic scale.
• Indigenous Tourism British Columbia (ITBC): Indigenous-focused DMO that is both a strategic partner and a peer; operates overlapping industry development, marketing, and training functions specifically for Indigenous tourism operators in BC.
• Tourism Industry Association of BC (TIABC): BC-wide industry association providing advocacy, communications, and member services — directly comparable as an industry-association peer and a TOTA partner for conferences and surveys.

Regional players

• Travel Alberta: Provincial DMO for neighboring Alberta with comparable destination marketing, training, and research functions, but operating in a different province and not directly competing in Thompson Okanagan.

Broad incumbents

• Destination Canada: National DMO for Canada with a much broader mandate and budget; an upstream peer whose campaigns and research TOTA's regional work feeds into and depends on.
• Visit California: Large state-level destination marketing organization with a similar combined marketing, sustainability, and industry development mandate; a benchmark for DMO scale and program breadth well beyond TOTA.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/totabcnews

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA)