To the editor:

The new proposed location for a Visitor Centre is an excellent choice.

As a tourism business owner and a longtime resident of 91´ó»ÆѼ, I fully support the relocation of the 91´ó»ÆѼ Visitor Centre. I am excited about the proposal to relocate the centre to the Queensway Jetty downtown. This is certainly a step in the right direction and a move that needs to be made with the current growth of our industry.

Tourism in 91´ó»ÆѼ has grown by leaps and bounds over the last decade and we need a place to welcome guests that reflects this growth. This new facility will allow us to welcome our visitors with true Okanagan hospitality by providing a convenient, well-equipped and attractive information centre in an area where the tourists are. It will also allow businesses a centre of excellence to showcase to customers the unique offerings from this fantastic region.

The relocation makes a great deal of sense as it will attract and welcome not only visitors actively seeking tourism information, but tourists who walk by this high-traffic area who may not have otherwise visited the centre. As a basic rule of business; you go where the customers are, and I support Tourism 91´ó»ÆѼ’s plan to do just that. The current centre is not in a place that highlights what 91´ó»ÆѼ has to offer, it does not meet the high standards our guests expect and is inconvenient for tourists who may not want to get in a vehicle to seek information.

91´ó»ÆѼ showcases the best of B.C. and we need a Visitor Centre that reflects that. More visitors to the centre will lead to visitors doing and seeing more in our beautiful city and we will all benefit as a result of that.

Sincerely,

Tony Stewart

CEO, Quails’ Gate Winery

West 91´ó»ÆѼ