Tourism strategy is still in the works
The Town of Osoyoos, Town of Oliver and the Osoyoos Indian Band have been working collaboratively towards developing a tourism strategy which would benefit the area.
Chris Scott, the Osoyoos Indian Band's Chief Economic Development Officer, said the area includes Vaseux Lake south to the U.S. Border.
Over the years, these three communities have met and initiated various programs, including a marketing study of the area, said Scott.
Subsequently, largely through a branding strategy known as Desert Wine Country, billboards, rack cards, trade shows and magazine advertizing were undertaken and jointly cost-shared to promote the region.rnThrough the provincially funded program, the Western Economic Partnership Agreement, a long term tourism planning strategy was developed.
The Tourism Planning Group, based in Vancouver, B.C., is working on the strategy, the key objective being to establish a far stronger tourism destination alliance between all, than would be the case if each area acted alone.
Chris Scott explained that positioning the South Okanagan as a four-season destination tourism area was deemed as a critical step in capturing visitors' interest within a competitive marketplace.
The approach involved developing a 'Destination Score Card,' which is an assessment tool for constructing a successful tourism strategy. This approach has been done by the Tourism Planning Group in both national and international market places, Scott said.
A ten-year tourism strategy is also in the planning, and consultation is taking place with industry stakeholders.
Chris Scott reported that SOTA (South Okanagan Tourism Area) generates approximately 350,000 visitors and $59 million annually to the region.
Scott also said the forecasted growth in the region over the next ten years is for 100 per cent revenue increase, or $117 million dollars.
Scott said the implications for this growth are numerous and include:rn-upgrading and expansion of accommodation unitsrn- improvements in entertainment and shopping experiencesrn- development of a variety of experiences relating to nature and culturern- additional marketing dollars invested in the promotion of SOTA.
Wine tourism, agri tourism, Aboriginal tourism, heritage tourism, nature based tourism, health and wellness tourism and culinary experiences and festivals all factor into the core experience of the area.
The three parties have gone further to embrace SOTA by agreeing to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding that will establish a coordinated approach to sustainable tourism development, said Scott.
It is the intent of the three parties to pursue funding from various government sources to ensure a sustainable and well executed tourism strategy can be executed.rnScott said SOTA represents an exciting and opportunistic moment to engage the efforts of two towns and a Native community in the development of a strategy which will double the tourism revenue to the area over the next ten years.
The strength of this strategy lies in the cooperative spirit that allows these three communities to work collaboratively and share in the costs and efforts of delivering a first rate tourist experience, Scott said.
