It’s another feather in the cap for the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA).

They’re a finalist in the 15th United Nations World Tourism Awards, being recognized for their push towards sustainable tourism.

TOTA President and CEO Glenn Mandziuk says it’s a huge honour to be recognized.

“This has been a journey that we probably embarked on about eight years ago,” he said. “We didn’t want to sell our soul to tourism for the sake of tourism.”

“We wanted to develop tourism in a way that respects our environment, our culture, our social systems that we have here. Getting this kind of recognition is just another indicator that we’re on the right path.”

Mandziuk believes they’ve been successful because they’ve shared a common vision across the Thompson-Okanagan.

“Things like electric charging stations in the region, and strong relationships with our indigenous communities,” he said. “We worked on human resources programs to really address challenges around attracting labour, to ensure that we have equality in the workplace.”

“The other is aspect around ensuring that we have projects that support the protection of our environment.”

Mandziuk says TOTA believes that tourism revenue will come in a much more robust way when they develop the region in a respectful manner.

This latest recognition comes after a Travel and Tourism Council Award which was won in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and more recently, the World Travel Awards for responsible tourism won in Lisbon, Portugal.