It appears staff with Destination Osoyoos will be moving into the current British Columbia Visitor Centre at the junction of Hwy. 3 and 97 in 2018. (Richard McGuire photo)
It’s appears to be a done deal that staff with Destination Osoyoos will be moving back into its former head office at the B.C. Visitor Centre located at the junction of Hwy. 3 and Hwy. 97 in 2018.
Kelly Glazer, the new executive director of Destination Osoyoos, told members of Town of Osoyoos council on Monday that the visitor’s centre provides a much more convenient, modern and accessible location than its current home at 8701 Main Street, just beside town hall.
The Province has announced it does not intend to renew its lease for this building after its current contract expires at the end of 2017.
“This location has some limitations as it relates to providing visitor services … the two key points being location and public brochure display space,” said Glazer. “Destination Osoyoos has been presented with the opportunity to relocate our operations to the building currently used as the B.C. Visitor Centre at Hwy. 3 and 97 in the year 2018.
“That location would no longer be a provincial visitor centre and would become a community visitor centre, eligible for provincial network funding. We feel that this move would be beneficial to Destination Osoyoos as it gives us the opportunity to expand and better promote Osoyoos and our stakeholders.
“In addition, the move would allow new revenue streams to provide access funding for our marketing and economic development initiatives (for the Town).”
The biggest reason for changing venues relates to visitor statistics, said Glazer.
The latest statistics from 2016 indicate almost 40,000 visits to the B.C. Visitors Centre between May and October and less than 3,000 at the DO centre on Main Street.
Destination Osoyoos operated out of the B.C. Visitor’s Centre for a brief period of time, but moved to its current location four years ago.
Moving back to the preferred location would allow for increased visibility and visitor traffic, more space to create new revenue streams and allow for the opportunity to promote events for locals and visitors, said Glazer.
It would also present a clear and present brand message to provide for Osoyoos to showcase itself as a premier tourism destination and encourage continued growth in relationships with current stakeholders, neighbouring municipalities, organizations and to build new partnerships, she said.
“Being located at the intersection of two major highways” in a more spacious and modern facility would provide numerous benefits in marketing and promoting Osoyoos as a premier tourist destination, she said.
Some of the extra space would be used to increase retail sales and increased storage space would save money as Destination Osoyoos currently has to rent storage space for promotional materials, she said.
DO would also like to pursue the opportunity to offer a wine retail centre at this site, something simply not possible at the current site, she said.
Once the proper licensing is put in place, local wineries would also be able to promote and sell their products during promotional events, she said.
Retail opportunities would exist for culinary products, both local and regional, cultural products, Osoyoos branded merchandise, wine and wine accessories and travel accessories, she said.
Her staff could also offer sales of accommodation packages in town as well as ticket sales for things such as ski packages, winery events and community events, she said.
There is also the potential, with the huge parking lot, of offering an additional community market, she said.
Gross retail sales at the current B.C. Visitor’s Centre are in excess of $90,000 and she’s confident those numbers would increase dramatically if DO staff makes a concerted effort to increase retail sales, she said.
The current lease agreement with the Town costs roughly $2,000 per month ($24,900 per year), as well as $2,735 in insurance and $1,560 for storage rental space.
The proposed lease agreement at the B.C. Visitor Centre building would be $30,000 per year for five years in an agreement deal directly with Destination B.C., plus insurance, storage, furnishing and fixtures, she said.
Glazer was “very confident” DO would be able to access $50,000 annually from a provincial funding network available to visitor centres in B.C. she said.
Mayor Sue McKortoff said there’s no arguing the B.C. Visitor’s Centre is a much better and more modern building and council will discuss the information she has provided before making any final decision. “You seem to have things well in hand and keep up the good work,” she said.
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
