By Vriti Bakshi, Times Chronicle
As the leaves begin their autumnal colour shift signaling the impending winter and the intensity of the sun’s rays wanes with each passing day, we take a look back at the summer through the eyes of tourists and locals alike.
It is safe to say that the Town of Osoyoos welcomes a lot of tourists every year and this particular year, as restrictions were lifted, Osoyoos saw an influx of visitors that had been patiently waiting to come and embrace Canada’s Warmest Welcome for the past two years.
While Destination Osoyoos was unable to estimate the number of visitors that poured into town this summer, the past couple of years Osoyoos has still seen many tourists in spite of the pandemic. In fact, the resort town saw approximately 300,000 visitors in 2020, according to official data.
Despite tourists being the town’s prime demographic in the summer, locals who call Osoyoos home also enjoy a front row seat to the summertime activities. Tourists and locals both have one thing in common – enjoying the lakeside town and all that it has to offer.
But tourists and locals are different in how they see the town and how they experience it. To get a clearer idea of this differing perspective, the Times Chronicle hit the streets near the end of the summer interviewing some people staying in Osoyoos for as long as 53 years, and some for as little as a few days.
Jeff and Lee from Langley
When asked about how their visit to Osoyoos has been, Jeff described it as “very relaxing, the weather’s been amazing” with Lee piping in that it has been “fabulous.”
When asked about how Osoyoos is different from their hometown, the main difference the couple noticed was “how friendly the people in the Interior are,” explaining that their experience with those local to South Okanagan have been very positive.
Both Jeff and Lee agreed that their favourite part of staying in Osoyoos would be floating on the water and enjoying the sun, and concluded that they would definitely come back to visit.
Vriti Bakshi interviewing Jeff and Lee from Langley.
Vaishnavi Gupta photo
Kaydence and Pressley from Edmonton
When Kaydence and Pressley were asked about how their summer in Osoyoos had been so far, “very nice!” was the consensus. Kaydence also added how she “really liked to tan” and given the sun has been very much out and about, the pair clearly visited at the perfect time.
The next question the two were asked was how their summer would compare to that of the locals, to which both women replied that theirs would be “less boring” since they had “more to explore” because Osoyoos has lots of things to see.
The two both said that they would definitely return to “O-town”, and chose visiting the local markets and shops as their favourite part of their stay. It’s lovely to see tourists appreciate locally owned businesses.
For these tourists and others that Times Chronicle spoke to, the sentiment was very similar: everyone has enjoyed their stay in Osoyoos and agreed that their experiences here have been positive, and hope to come back to Osoyoos once again.
The heat, the lake, and the community were all things that created a wonderful stay for these people, and are all things that help Osoyoos stay on the map as the perfect vacation destination.
Turning the focus to the locals, their perspectives were similar but not quite the same.
Kaydence and Pressley (left) from Edmonton talking to Vriti Bakshi.
Vaishnavi Gupta photo
Sandra Albo
One familiar face that was encountered was Sandra Albo, who is the president of the Okanagan Art Gallery. When she was asked about her summer in Osoyoos, she described it as “very warm but very pleasant” and made note of the amount of tourists who came to the gallery and bought art.
Again, tourists supporting local artists, and by extension supporting the local economy. Albo was asked how her summer experience was compared to previous summers.
The first difference she saw was that it was “busier than previous summers because of COVID-19.”
One thing she noticed was how “people seemed to buy more art during COVID, when they couldn’t go anywhere” which was quite the unexpected answer. “It’s an interesting perspective,” Albo added.
Albo mentioned that she originally came to Osoyoos as a tourist a whopping 53 summers ago. “I originally came here as a tourist, then I came to teach at school here and then I met my husband and raised a family.”
Her experience in summer was definitely positive, as she liked it here so much she decided to stay and join the community, which shows that she has seen the town through both lenses- as a tourist and a local.
Sandra Albo with Vriti Bakshi Vaishnavi Gupta photo
Jennifer Demo
Lastly we spoke with local Jennifer Demo, who shared her experiences with summer in Osoyoos this summer. Demo described her summer as “nice and quiet”. Demo found that in comparison to previous summers, the town was less busy than the pre-pandemic times.
“Last year we experienced a lot of people coming in when some of the travel restrictions were lifted, but it still never got to the capacity that we had prior… It just hasn’t been as busy or as loaded with people that it has before,” she said.
A good point she brought up was that the price of gas may have been a factor as to why she hasn’t seen as many people come into Osoyoos this year, and more specifically, the fact that she did not see as many boats out on the lake this year.
“People are a little more thrifty with their spending and don’t want to bring boats or waste the fuel,” she suggested as one possibility. This was an interesting point since there has been a significantly lower number of boats seen on the lake.
Demo was also asked about how she thinks local businesses have fared with the tourists this summer. She noticed that “lots of people are shopping when they are here,” and that “people at wineries have been having pretty good days”.
Demo also pointed out that the new KFC that just recently opened in town has been “non-stop busy since it opened its doors”, and also how our community supports new businesses that open in town. “The community that we live in is very supportive of new business ventures and the new restaurant”.
She also compliments the owners of KFC for offering employees a decent wage, and encouraging other businesses to raise their wages as well. As a local, Demo says that one way her experiences in Osoyoos could be different from tourists is that she has more options for activities and food, since she has more space to keep things such as water and other sports equipment.
“I guess I have more options . . . if you are camping, tenting, or staying in a resort, you’re fairly limited to your groceries and you would plan your meals and that’s it, whereas I live here so I have additional storage”. She also explains how the connections she has within the community is an advantage when making plans to go out. “I know enough people who could take my granddaughter so I could take out my daughter and son-in-law”.
After speaking with both the tourists and locals it’s easy to see what makes Osoyoos so special; the people, and the place. Everyone we spoke to enjoyed their summer, with most spending quite a lot of time either on the lake or relaxing on its sandy shores soaking up the sun’s rays.
Hearing the different perspectives on Osoyoos exposes the depth that this town has, and how it offers a different experience for everyone – whether they are just visiting for 10 minutes or have stayed here for 10 years. In years to come, Osoyoos will see many faces, some that call it home, and some that see it as their home away from home.
Jennifer Demo
Vaishnavi Gupta photo
Vriti Bakshi is a Grade 12 student at Osoyoos Secondary School (OSS) and is doing a work experience placement with the Times Chronicle.
