What do paint sticks, rattlesnakes, rocks, model trains and hardware have in common? They are all the stars of a video currently in production which will promote our lifestyle, community and business products. Ace Film Company of Vancouver is on schedule to complete the digital video early this fall. Because so much footage has been shot (and there is more to come), there are many ways that it can now be edited. By editing the material for different purposes, it can become a sales video for tourism, or a business support tool for economic development or a visual representation of our quality of life in Osoyoos.

Shooting the video in high resolution digital format also allows individual frames to be used as ‘stills’ offering greater flexibility in building up a photo gallery for use by Destination Osoyoos and individual businesses.

Ace Film Company principals, Allen Jones and Parker Jefferson expect to make one more trip in mid August to collect even more great shots of Osoyoos.

Mr. DeMille… Part Deux

Not only is Osoyoos being recorded on video, but recently Don Weixl returned to spend some more time immortalizing Osoyoos through his beautiful photographs. Don completed a series of promotional photographs 3 years ago that have been used extensively by Destination Osoyoos, the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Assn. and many others. His latest series will assist Destination Osoyoos in building a professional catalogue of high quality photos that can be used in publications, websites and other promotional material. A picture is worth a thousand words and these shots will speak volumes on behalf of Osoyoos.

The photo shoots require a great deal of time and effort to coordinate. Beverly Pearce of Destination Osoyoos was with Don throughout the shoot to insure that everything went smoothly.

With the airport runway now paved, the area around the facility is now being considered for development. Light industrial land is in high demand in Osoyoos and as the current Industrial Park is basically full, Osoyoos needs more area to attract businesses who will add jobs and diversity to our economy. The Town of Osoyoos has recently applied to have the land adjacent to the airport excluded from the ALR so that it can be used to complement the potential represented by the airport. Doug Kobayashi, of Think Marketing, has been hired to create a strategy to maximize the potential of these lands through business development with particular focus on the aerospace industry.

As you can see when you drive by the junction of Hwy. 3 and 97, the new BC Visitor Centre @ Osoyoos, is taking shape! Scheduled to open in November, the new centre will be a showcase for all of BC, but particularly for our community and region. A new billboard will soon be erected on that site showing the new building which will become a landmark for our community.

During the construction phase, Destination Osoyoos had to move to temporary quarters on Lakeshore Drive. This move has not been without challenges. Many residents and visitors have had difficulty getting to the new building. In an effort to assist visitors and inform our residents of the interim location, a new rack card was distributed throughout the community recently.

The rack card provides a photo of the new building and also provides contact information and a map indicating the current location of the Visitor Centre, Greyhound and Destination Osoyoos. The rack cards have been mailed to everyone in the Town of Osoyoos and Area A. In addition, the cards have been distributed throughout businesses in town and there has been a specific distribution to our accommodation sector so that they can be placed in guest rooms.

Over the past few years, there has been enormous growth in the number and kinds of businesses and services in our community. There have also been businesses that have changed owners, switched locations or added new aspects to their firms. Lissa Murseli, one of the summer interns at Destination Osoyoos, has been working very hard to update and correct our Business Directory which is used extensively by residents and those looking at business opportunities and business gaps. Checking and confirming every detail takes a great deal of time and Lissa is now looking forward to completion of the 2006 version of the directory. The new directory will be up by the end of August at destinationosoyoos.com.

Business owners always need to keep on top of the latest trends and stats for their industry. In an effort to keep our community businesses up to date, Destination Osoyoos has contracted Nathan Rigos, a Tourism student at Malaspina College in Nanaimo; to do a tourism business survey. Businesses in the tourism sector are being contacted to ascertain their interest in participating. All information will be kept confidential, but that same information is vital to benchmark the progress of the industry in Osoyoos. Nathan will complete the survey by the end of August and it will provide information critical to future planning activities for businesses and our community.