Travelsmart
Yes, B.C. is under a province-wide state of emergency, but not everywhere is burning.
That’s the message the Okanagan’s tourism sector is sending out – that the valley is open for business.
The Okanagan just dealt with nearly two months of unprecedented flooding, which forced many beaches, parks and boat launches to close. The last thing the region needs, according to tourism officials, is people continuing to stay away because of area fires.
“It’s safe to say it’s been a challenging year for tourism operators,” Chris Shauf with Tourism Kelowna said. “We want to make sure we get the information out proactively to travellers as well, to let them know their summer vacations are still on.”
There is one major blaze burning in the valley, about a two-hour drive from Kelowna in Princeton, but other than that right now the Okanagan is good to go.
Depending on the wind, smoke from area wildfires does seep into the Okanagan, but that varies day-to-day. You can find out the latest air quality for cities around B.C. here.
The Okanagan is a tourism mecca and many businesses rely on summer shoppers to survive.
“There are a lot of businesses that really rely on that summer business,” owner of the Wardrobe Boutique Laura-Ann Kavanagh said. “If they don’t get the summer business they’re in trouble for the rest of the year.”
So far, it hasn’t hurt her bottom line, but Kavanagh said one of the main reasons she made it through the downturn during the flooding, was thanks to support from local residents.
How hard the tourism sector may be hit it still unknown, but for now, Shauf wants to make sure the message is known, “we’re open and ready for you.”
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