Outlook Business/Tourism newsletter: Issue 15. This issue 4-12-06.
Content by Destination Osoyoos Staff, html by Keith Calder.

Business
Comments to BC Utilities Commission
by Glenn Mandziuk, March 21, 2006
As anyone who has driven into our area from either Richter Pass or Anarchist Mountain can attest, the first glimpses of Osoyoos are truly breathtaking and memorable. The small community is surrounded by orchards and vineyards with a beautiful lake separating it from the desert landscapes of Nk’Mip. First impressions are very powerful, and as a
community we are trying to ensure that the beauty they see from a distance is equal to the beauty they see as they venture down into and through our community.

As a community, we still have much to do in order to reflect the beauty of our community. But all our efforts and planning will be futile if we now have to deal with more ugly poles, towers and lines interrupting the viewscapes that our community and Mother Nature has worked so hard to achieve.

In short, it would set us back years and add new challenges that are not necessary. There is a better way. We would support any and all efforts to bury the lines.

click here to read the full article.

'06 B.C. Rural Summit to be hosted in Osoyoos
"Strengthening Links between Rural Communities"

This event is a joint conference of the BC Rural Summit and the BC Rural Network. It will be hosted at the Sonora Community Centre, Osoyoos BC - April 20-22, 2006.

The need and desire to improve networking and exchange of information among rural communities has been clearly identified and requested by rural stakeholders across BC.

“Strengthening Links Between Rural Communities” will be an opportunity for rural residents and representatives of rural organizations from across the province to come together to discuss ways to coordinate their efforts to improve networking and build the capacity of rural communities in BC.

• More than 25 workshops and presentations that will explore the experiences and share the lessons learned by rural and remote communities across BC
• Social events and networking opportunities to develop new contacts and partnerships
• Collaborative action planning sessions for moving forward together.
• The first and formative AGM of the BC Rural Network
• Inspiring speakers and plenary sessions
• Youth sessions and participation - planned and presented by rural youth

REGISTER EARLY!

The conference registration brochure, a full summary of presentations, as well as travel and accommodation are all at BCRuralSummit.ca.

You may also request a print version of the registration package by contacting Jennifer Parton at:

Local: 250-493-2566 Toll Free: 1-877-493-5566 Email: jennifer@cfdcokanagan.com

CRTC Approves Radio Station Application

This March the 10th, the CRTC approved Destination Osoyoos' application to operate a low power tourism FM radio station. The station will operate at 106.5 MHz, and will provide information about the town, about local events, attractions, and culture for visitors to Osoyoos. It will also provide an emergency broadcast system to the town, to spread important information in times of crisis. Stay tuned to future issues of Outlook for further updates about this exciting project!

Thanks to our sponsors, Interior Savings Credit Union & FortisBC.
Osoyoos Hotel/Motel FAM Tours
Destination Osoyoos would like to thank the local Hotel and Motel owners & staff who welcomed us on this year's Familiarization Tours, held April 3rd and 4th. Our front line staff and volunteers benefited from this experience, and have the information to help visitors to
Osoyoos find the accommodation they're looking for in the busy summer months.

We'd like to say thanks to the Tamri Motel & Campground, Casa del Mila Oro, Bella Villa Motel, the Sandy Beach Motel, Sun Beach Motel, Best Western, Super 8 Motel, Holiday Inn, Inkameep Point Resort, Econo Lodge, Boundary Motel, Destiny Beach Motel, the Avalon Motel, and Desert Surfside Motel.

Future familiarization tours are being planned for other Osoyoos hotel/motel and bed & breakfast accomodations.
Community Watch

Spray Park

A group of Osoyoos residents are working hard to bring a spray park to Osoyoos. The Osoyoos Spray Park committee has been meeting since last fall at the Sonora Community Centre, discussing how a water park would be an awesome addition to our town. A spray park provides endless enjoyment to children of all ages.

One great advantage to spray parks is they eliminate drowning risks and do not require a lifeguard. Kids can build their confidence about being in the water. Another benefit of today's water parks is that the water flow and consumption can be closely monitored and controlled. With our warm climate, a park like this would be utilized for many months of the year, and would definitely draw tourists to our town.

There will be a water park open house at the Sonora Centre on Tuesday, April 25th from 6-8 PM. For more information, call Leah at 495-5290.

Desert Half Ironman

At Outback Events, you'll find information on three exciting Triathlon events happening this summer, including the Desert Half Ironman in Osoyoos.

Soroptimists Website redesigned

Check it out at SunnyOsoyoos.com!

Destination Osoyoos Visitor Info Centre
e-mail - website - staff - location

Additional Info
Web Design Basics
by Keith Calder

As part of my job at Destination Osoyoos, I keep an eye on local websites so we can keep our own links and contact info up to date. I've helped a few site owners with design questions and getting new, appealing content online.

 One thing I've realized in this time is that a website is a really vital tool for any business. The cost to keep a website going is very cheap, and unlike other forms of advertising, it's always ready when people want to check it for information. People often need to know just a little bit more to make sure it's really the right choice. For that, a website is perfect.

A good place to get started if you're interested in designing your own web page is Open Source Web Design. You'll find some a good variety of website templates here. You can browse through and download them if you want to look at or modify the code that creates the site. Most authors ask for a credit if you use their code on your website.

A website is usually made up of several web pages. For example, our website - destinationosoyoos.com has map pages, event pages, and so on. All these pages have links to each other - usually these links are organized in a menu bar along the top or side of the screen. Links can be set up on any text or image, and can hook up to other pages on your website, or to anywhere else on the web.

Most webmasters will be eager to 'trade links' with you because this helps both your sites get more traffic, particularly if your visitors share interests. So the first thing to get really comfortable with is setting up links, and it's one of the first things to plan when you create your new site.

Once your site's ready to go on the net, you're going to need a host. You can self host your website on your own computer with ftp (file transfer protocol) server software like Bulletproof FTP server, but in that case you will need to keep your computer on and connected to the internet, with the server running all the time for people to visit your website. If it's a work computer this can be a nuisance, especially once you start getting lots of traffic.

The easiest way to get your site out there is to use a remote host. Prohosting.com and Yahoo Pages are good examples of large scale services that host a lot of 'free' websites, and usually these will add some advertising or popups to your web page if you don't pay for the hosting.

A lot of smaller hosts are out there too, though, and are sometimes easier to work with. Locally in the valley there are several businesses that provide web hosting, and/or web design. viniciodelgado.com, ccdesigns.ca,and shadowfax communications are just a few worth checking out.

If you decide to manage your own website's design and updates, you'll want to have some FTP (file transfer protocol) client software, for transferring files to and from the server. Web browsing software can do this, but doesn't really work very well. Filezilla or Smart FTP are good examples of FTP client software. The big advantage here is that you can update your site any time you need to. Sites with weekly or daily updates and no outdated content tend to become the most popular.

To connect to your site with this software, you need the IP address - usually something like 202.107.194.18, but sometimes more like ftp.yoursite.domain.net. You'll also need the Port number, which is usually 21 but can be set differently for security purposes. You'll probably need a user name and password as well. Your site's host should be happy to provide all these things. Some hosts might use a web-based updating system instead, or simply handle the changes you request by phone or e-mail. Good luck, and hope to see your website soon!

Visitor Info

estimated visitors during

February 2006
to Visitor Centre:
1,028
to www.destinationosoyoos.com:
3,239 (10,461 hits)

March 2006
to Visitor Centre:
1,573
to www.destinationosoyoos.com:
4,430 (15,254 hits)

e-mail: tourism@osoyoos.ca

  • April 15 - Easter Eggstravaganza - Easter Egg hunt at Osoyoos Elem. School at 10:00 am. Bike & Trike (Judging) 12:15 pm at Smitty's. Country Fair at Town Centre, 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. Easter Parade at 1:00 pm on Main Street. Easter Bonnet Contest at about 12:00 pm at the fountain.

  • April 23 - Indian Reserve Hike - Oliver-Osoyoos Naturalists. Moderate difficulty. Meet 9:30 am, Oliver CPR Station. Leader is Buddy Alex, call Marianne 498-2743 for info.

  • April 25 - Osoyoos Now AGM - Plus invited speaker. Meetings will be at the Osoyoos Secondary School Mini-Theatre, 7:00pm to 9:00pm (doors open at 6:30pm).

  • May 4-7 - Okanagan Spring Wine Festival - A series of events throughout the Okanagan including receptions, open houses.

  • May 13-Oct 14 - Osoyoos Markets on Main - Saturdays, 8 AM-1 PM. Everyone is welcome to come and enjoy our local farmer's market. The whole family can enjoy a day of fun and shop for homemade-homegrown fresh produce, fruits, jams, jellies, honey, baked goods, art and crafts in relaxed country setting.

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