Osoyoos, B.C. — Destination Osoyoos has unveiled a major new three-year Tourism Market Development Plan for 2008-10 that sets bold new goals designed to increase tourism and make Osoyoos an even more popular year-round resort area for visitors from across Canada and around the world.

At a launch event held at the new Walnut Beach Resort today, local tourism, business and government leaders and TourismBC officials gathered as Destination Osoyoos CEO Glenn Mandziuk released the new document – developed over the past year by TourismBC’s Community Tourism Foundations® program.

Mandziuk says the Plan, which sets out goals and specific actions to boost area tourism, will guide the spending and projects undertaken with the more than $200,000 per year available to the Osoyoos tourism sector generated by the new two-per-cent Additional Hotel Room Tax which began to be levied at Osoyoos accommodations last Dec. 1.

“This is really cause for celebration,” Mandziuk says. “This new Plan positions Osoyoos extraordinarily well because it complements our community’s Resort Development Strategy and because of the overwhelming support for the Plan from the local tourism industry and government.” Osoyoos Town Council recently gave its support to the document.

Mandziuk notes development of the Plan included workshops that brought together representatives of Destination Osoyoos, Town Council, the Osoyoos Indian Band, the Osoyoos Hotel & Motel Association (OHMO), and local attractions to identify a vision for future tourism marketing.

Local resort owner/operator Ron Stephens, chairman of OHMO, says, “We’re definitely on the right track, prioritizing a number of the things we want to get done in Osoyoos. The Plan has lots of good potential and I’m pleased with it.” Stephens is also head of the local Tourism Advisory Committee (TAC) which will work jointly with Destination Osoyoos on overseeing the projects outlined in the new Plan.

Mandziuk explains that Destination Osoyoos applied to the Community Tourism Foundations® program for its help and expertise in creating the new Tourism Market Development Plan.

The project’s facilitator, TourismBC’s Jennifer Houiellebecq, says she made sure TAC and all the local stakeholders were involved. She notes that Osoyoos was already ahead of many other locations because of earlier tourism plans, how developed the local tourism industry is, and how well the stakeholders work together. “Osoyoos is a really good example of private/public partnerships,” Houiellebecq says. Peter Harrison, TourismBC’s Director of Partnership Marketing, also attended the unveiling of the Plan.

Mandziuk notes that in addition to helping with development of the Plan, the Community Tourism Foundations® program will also contribute $50,000 over the next three years to help Osoyoos implement it.

The new Plan says the overall goal is for Osoyoos “to develop a sustainable year-round tourism industry and all-season resort community based on a strong partnership approach to the delivery of welcoming and unique, authentic, quality visitor experiences.” Its focus is on increasing visitors’ spending.

The three-year Plan adds that Osoyoos must develop meaningful tourism experiences which respect the area’s natural and cultural heritage, and this development must enhance the community’s economic health, aesthetics, and quality of life.

Aspects of tourism marketing in future will include: developing new products and services; diversifying tourism markets; promoting Osoyoos as a prominent four-season destination; improving service quality; diversifying tourist experiences; increasing local cultural amenities; improving transportation; enhancing the lake quality; and helping to create affordable housing related to the tourism industry.

The new Plan calls for initiatives during 2008-10 in four main categories: Growing Tourism Revenue through External Marketing; Strengthening the Visitor Experience; Maintaining a Market-Focused Industry; and, Strengthening Internal Communications.

Among the dozens of planned initiatives are:

• Building awareness of the new brand: ‘Osoyoos – Canada’s Warmest Welcome’.
• Developing web-based tourism marketing.
• Positioning Osoyoos as a destination of choice for meetings and conferences.
• Generating increased media exposure for Osoyoos as a resort destination.
• Rasing awareness of quality-assurance programs and becoming a BC ‘SuperHost’ community.
• Working with local stakeholders to develop new winter and shoulder-season tourism products.
• Promoting environmentally and socially responsible visitor experiences.
• Adding a market development co-ordinator and a focus on tourism research and market intelligence within Destination Osoyoos.

The new Plan notes that Osoyoos has a long history as a tourism and vacation spot. It says the town now has 1,017 hotel and motel rooms, and about 350,000 visitors come here each year, directly spending about $72 million. About 55 per cent of the visitors are from within B.C., 27 per cent are from the rest of Canada, seven per cent are from the U.S., and 10 per cent are from Europe.

By 2010 the Plan aims to boost the number of annual visitors by seven per cent – or 24,500 – and to hike total visitor spending by 10 per cent – or $7.2 million.

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For more Information, Contact:

Glenn Mandziuk, CEO, Destination Osoyoos
Tel: 250-495-3366 or 1-888-676-9667
Email: glenn@osoyoos.ca
Website: www.destinationosoyoos.com

The Destination Osoyoos Development Society is a non-profit grassroots organization committed to strengthening economic, physical, social and cultural conditions in the Osoyoos area. The goal of its Community Economic Development Strategy is to promote enhanced quality of life and a sustainable, diversified economy. It is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors representing diverse interests in the community.