New ‘warm’ Osoyoos brand unveiled

Osoyoos is presenting a unified new image to the world, designed to promote economic development and four-season tourism for the town and area.

At an outdoor ceremony on February 1st in front of Town Hall, Mayor John Slater, town councilors, local high school students, Osoyoos Indian Band leaders, Destination Osoyoos officials, and local business people unveiled the new brand appearance and tag line– ‘Osoyoos: Canada’s Warmest Welcome’.

The brand has been developed over the past year by the Publicis company of Vancouver, with the project being directed by Destination Osoyoos. The process included asking local residents and business people for their input.

The brand incorporates the tag line in a stylized new ‘Osoyoos’ logo with a strong visual identity, which includes four basic colours: gold, representing the sun; light grey-green, representing the desert sagebrush; blue, representing the lake; and dark green, representing the mountains. The natural colours and clean typeface project a sophisticated and approachable destination for tourists and potential investors.

“Our new identity speaks to the warm and welcoming nature of the community,” Destination Osoyoos Executive Director Glenn Mandziuk told the unveiling ceremony. He said the new brand will appear in many print and television ads in the coming months, presenting a strong single image of Osoyoos as a place to visit and do business. Mandziuk estimates annual tourism revenues in Osoyoos will surpass $125 million within the next few years, with more than 500,000 visitors each year. It is hoped the new brand will boost revenues for every type of business in Osoyoos – golf courses, resorts, wineries, hotels, restaurants, gas stations, retail stores, and others.

‘eNEWS’ will spread the word

Here at Destination Osoyoos we receive a lot of information and generate a lot about the exciting tourism and community economic developments taking place in Osoyoos. We want to share all this good information with local residents and business people, as well as with people around British Columbia, Canada and the world who are interested in Osoyoos. This electronic newsletter, ‘eNEWS’, is an effort to keep you ‘in the loop’ on interesting issues and developments in Osoyoos. It will be sent by e-mail on the 1st and 15th of every month. We hope you enjoy it – and please pass it along to others who you think will be interested. If you would like to stop receiving eNEWS, let us know at: kcalder@osoyoos.ca.

Tourism trends

• Canwest News Service reports that Statistics Canada figures show tourism spending in Canada rose by 4.3 per cent in 2007, reaching a total of $70.6 billion. Spending rose by 1.4 per cent in the fourth-quarter of last year -- the 18th consecutive quarterly increase – and that was driven by the continued growth of Canadians traveling in their own country. Low unemployment and interest rates coupled with strong gains in disposable income contributed to the solid performance in 2007, StatsCan said.

• Premier Gordon Campbell recently announced a boost to Tourism B.C.'s portion of the province's eight-per-cent hotel tax from 1.65 per cent to three per cent. This $12-million increase will lift Tourism B.C.'s annual budget to $62 million as the organization tries to push annual tourism revenues to $18-billion by 2015. B.C. had an estimated $10.6 billion in tourism revenues in 2007. The premier also said the government’s initiatives to fight climate change and protect the ecology will be critical to preserve B.C.’s natural beauty, which is a key to maintaining and increasing the tourism sector.

DO Profile: Chris Bower

Chris Bower is a key player helping to shape the development of B.C.’s rapidly growing tourism and resort sectors. Fortunately for us, part of his high-level involvement includes the Chairmanship of Destination Osoyoos.

Originally from New Brunswick, Chris holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of New Brunswick, Saint John. In the mid-1990s he was a Sales Representative for Hostess Frito-Lay in Alberta and B.C. In 1997 he opened the Nk’Mip Gas & Convenience Store in Oliver for the Osoyoos Indian Band (OIB) and was its General Manager until 2000.

Since 1997 Chris has been General Manager of the OIB’s Nk’Mip Campground and RV Park, on the eastern shore of Osoyoos Lake. He has turned it into one of the most successful year-round RV parks in the province, with annual revenue of more than $1.1 million and state-of-the-art facilities including park-wide wireless internet access and a new marina.

Chris also serves as Chairman and Director of Operations for the Nk’Mip Resort Association, the tourism operations in east Osoyoos which include a golf course, a winery, a desert cultural centre, the RV Park & Campground, and a condominium/resort hotel operation.

He has been a member of Destination Osoyoos since 1999 and is currently Chairman of its Board of Directors. Chris also serves as an executive member on the Board of Directors for the Thompson-Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA), is currently President of the BC Lodging & Campground Association, and recently served as a member of B.C.’s ‘Joint Industry-Government Working Group on Recreational Vehicle Park Development’.

On the personal side, Chris has been actively involved in the sport of karate throughout his life, as a competitor and coach. He and his children are members of the Oliver Kyokushin Karate Club.

The trail system is on the march

Destination Osoyoos has been working closely with the Regional District Okanagan Similkameen (RDOS), the Town of Osoyoos and the Osoyoos Desert Centre on the latest recreational development in the area – an eight-kilometre extension to the walking trail on the west side of Town. Thanks to support from RDOS Area A Director Mark Pendergraft, Town Leisure Services Director Gerald Davis, and former Desert Centre Executive Director Joanne Muirhead, the construction project is moving ahead -- extending the trail north from the end of the existing Osoyoos canal walkway at Highway 3. Work began in January and will be finished by June.

The extension will run along the east side of the highway past the Osoyoos Airport and will go all the way to the Osoyoos Desert Centre. Muirhead helped to ensure the project won’t have any negative impact on the endangered desert ecology in the area. RDOS granted $15,000 to the project, the Town granted $25,000 and the federal government granted about $15,000. The new path will include viewing platforms, small bridges over creeks, and interpretive signs – giving visitors and Osoyoos residents improved leisure opportunities.

In the photo, from left, Destination Osoyoos employees Jeff Ens, John Wells and Richard Colin work on the trail extension, beside a vineyard north of the Airport. They are busy tamping down a compact gravel base which will provide a solid foundation for the trail.