CEO TOTA Ellen Walker Matthews

EH BCs of Rural Tourism Podcast

Partnership between Tourism Industry Association of BC (TIABC) and EH Canada Travel

What happens when you put the CEO of one of British Columbia’s leading regional tourism organizations in a conversation about the future of small towns and rural tourism?

You get a conversation worth stopping for.

In this episode of EH BC’s of Rural Tourism, the Brothers of Tourism, Greg and Colin, sit down with Ellen Walker-Matthews, CEO of the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA).

With more than 40 years of experience in hospitality, travel and tourism, Ellen brings a unique perspective on how regional tourism can support communities far beyond the major centres.

The conversation explores some of the biggest challenges and opportunities facing rural tourism: • How small towns can compete without big-city marketing budgets
• Why collaboration can be more powerful than competition
• Building stronger shoulder-season and winter tourism
• Creating year-round reasons for visitors to travel
• The role rural communities play in the Thompson Okanagan tourism experience
• And one important question: If you could change one thing about how BC, Canada supports rural tourism, what would it be?

Because rural tourism isn't simply about getting visitors into a community. It’s about giving them a reason to stop, stay, spend, explore, and come back. And sometimes the best tourism experiences aren't found at the biggest attractions. They're found down the backroad, in the local café, on the trail, in the stories and in the people who make small-town BC what it is.

Don’t just drive through. Stop. Explore. Spend local. Stay awhile. Tell the story.

EH partnership between Tourism Industry Association of BC (TIABC) and EH Canada Travel.

CEO TOTA Ellen Walker Matthews

EH BCs of Rural Tourism Podcast