Thompson Okanagan earns International Biosphere Destination certification

The International Responsible Tourism Institute (RTI) announced that the Thompson Okanagan Region is the first destination in the Americas to earn the prestigious Biosphere Destination certification, recognizing the quality, environmental sustainability and social responsibility of the Thompson Okanagan as a tourism destination.

Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) and their members successfully met 137 benchmarks that contain sustainability measurements that track standards such as affordable, clean energy and water use; human rights and social justice; gender equality; cultural diversity and equality; labour standards; health and poverty standards; and, sustainable communities. The Biosphere Destination certification is the only designation to incorporate the United Nations (UN) 17 Sustainable Development Goals and the main guidelines of the Paris Climate Agreement.

It puts TOTA in some elite company, as there are only 20 destinations in the world to receive the accreditation, TOTA is the lone association in the Americas with the designation.

“In May, TOTA signed the Letter of Commitment in our effort to obtain the Biosphere Designation Certificate and today we are one of only 20 destinations globally to have reached this level of tourism excellency and the first in the Americas,” says President and CEO of the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association, Glenn Mandziuk. “This designation allows us to market the region globally as one of the most sustainable and responsible tourist destinations in the world.”