Osoyoos kicked off the creation of a new Tourism Market Development Plan on Sept. 21 with a collaborative multi-party planning session designed to take this popular South Okanagan resort community to an even higher level of tourism activity.

 

Staff and Board members of the area’s tourism marketing agency, Destination Osoyoos (DO), joined with representatives of the Town of Osoyoos, the Regional District Okanagan Similkameen (RDOS), the NK’MIP Resort Association, and the local Tourism Advisory Committee in a day-long brainstorming meeting at Spirit Ridge Vineyard Resort.

 

With the community’s first three-year Tourism Market Development Plan (2008-2010) set to end on Dec. 31, Destination Osoyoos initiated this consultative process to develop a second three-year Plan to cover 2011-2013. The planning is being facilitated by Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) Industry Development Specialist Jennifer Houiellebecq, who co-ordinated development of Osoyoos’ first plan three years ago when she was a Tourism BC consultant.

 

The first Tourism Market Development Plan set goals to increase tourism and make Osoyoos a more popular year-round resort area. It also helped to guide the use of revenue generated for tourism marketing by the two-per-cent Additional Hotel Room Tax levied at Osoyoos accommodations since December 2007. The 2008-10 Plan called for building more awareness of the community’s new brand (“Osoyoos: Canada’s Warmest Welcome”), generating more media exposure for Osoyoos as a resort destination, and positioning Osoyoos as a destination of choice for meetings and conferences. The Osoyoos tourism industry is valued at approximately $70 million per year.

 

This week’s planning session included reflection on progress made in the past three years, and in-depth discussion of initiatives that Destination Osoyoos should undertake in the next three years.

Earlier this month Destination Osoyoos signed a new partnership funding agreement with the Town, RDOS and NK’MIP who will each provide DO with operating funds to carry out tourism marketing for the area. DO Board Chair Don Brogan and Executive Director Jo Knight say that, In keeping with this new partnership, Destination Osoyoos wanted to make sure that planning for the area’s second Tourism Market Development Plan is more inclusive and collaborative than ever.

 

“We want to be proactive and develop the next Plan in close collaboration with all of our partners,” Knight says. “In the past three years, based on our first Plan, we have made great progress marketing Osoyoos as an attractive destination. Now it’s time to consider how we can build on that foundation with a new strategic plan that will help us use our resources wisely and effectively.”

 

The 15 participants at this week’s planning session agreed that Osoyoos’ natural qualities and the progress made in recent years have given this resort community a number of strengths for future tourism marketing, including: the warm climate; improving lake-water quality; increasing numbers of hotel rooms and resort amenities; the unique desert ecology; excellent local wineries and golf courses; the first-class local B.C. Visitor Centre; and the new tourism partnership and commitment of the partners.

 

The participants generally agreed that some of the areas a new Tourism Market Development Plan should focus on include: local customer service quality and training; working with community groups to integrate the marketing of local events; developing the market for conventions, business meetings and weddings; supporting through marketing more high-profile events in the spring and fall “shoulder seasons”; continuing to raise awareness of the community’s brand as Canada’s Warmest Welcome; and continuing to build services at the BC Visitor Centre @ Osoyoos.

 

DO Board Chair Don Brogan says the all-day session was an excellent start for development of a new Tourism Market Development Plan for Osoyoos. “The session was attended by a good cross section of tourism businesses and local government,” Brogan adds.  “I am glad the funding partners were all involved with the planning process and I am looking forward to the final version of our new three-year plan.  A great foundation has been put in place – we now have our direction and our goals will be achievable.  I look forward to successfully executing our new plan.“

 

DO Board Member Cam Bissonnette says the planning meeting did a great job of reminding everyone about all the local issues related to tourism, and about the progress made in recent years. “It also reminded us about the tremendous potential for tourism in Osoyoos, and about the major role Destination Osoyoos can play in that.”

 

Osoyoos Town Councillor C.J. Rhodes agreed. “This was a very positive start to the planning process and helped us all to recognize the main issues.”

 

DO Board Member Rob Rausch says the meeting has him excited about the future of tourism marketing in Osoyoos. “The session covered everything I came here wanting to talk about, and it included some really good, practical, ‘big-thinking’ ideas,” Rausch says. “We can make Osoyoos a world-class destination without losing its small-town feel.”

 

A draft three-year Tourism Market Development Plan will be prepared within a few weeks for consideration by Destination Osoyoos and its partners.

 

Knight says she looks forward to finalization of the Plan. “We are excited and looking forward to working with our partners throughout Osoyoos to put the new Plan into action!”