Hotel staff get familiar with Vernon area attractions

May 17, 2023 | 5:00 AM

Dozens of local frontline hotel workers will be able to talk first hand about a several local attractions following a day-long tour of the Vernon area.

Over 40 people loaded on Cheers Okanagan tour buses on Tuesday, May 16, to visit Planet Bee, Davison Orchards Country Village, Allan Brooks Nature Centre, The Canadian Wildlife Museum and O’Keefe Historic Ranch. The group also got a run-down on activities at SilverStar Mountain Resort during a lunch break at Allan Brooks Nature Centre.

“It is very important for all of us to understand what is going on within our community and how we can help one another in their businesses to succeed,” Ginny Scott, SilverStar Mountain Resort local sales manager, said.

Vernon Tourism spearheaded the tour, as a way to create ambassadors for local tourism businesses.

“I think it is important to visit all the local tourism attractions in person to get that first hand experience,” Vernon Visitor Services Coordinator Karen Savill told Vernon Matters.

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“These are hotel frontline workers that are dealing directly with guests and visitors, and [with this tour], they have experienced it themselves and are able to make informed recommendations to their guests,”

Allan Brooks Nature Centre (Vernon Matters photo)

A lot of the staff on the tour are new to the area or have recently located here so it was an opportunity to be a tourist in their own town.

“We just want to get people familiar with Allan Brooks and what our mission is, and just come up and enjoy, get away from the office,” Allan Brooks Nature Centre Manager Cheryl Hood said. “You can only explain how beautiful it is up here, what you get to see, all of that by being here.”

Tourism Vernon’s 2023 marketing plan focuses on active explorers, 35-55 years of age, along with people travelling as a family during school breaks and coming from Western Canada (B.C. and Alberta). The secondary targets are near retirement 55-plus and specific sports groups.

Calgary, at 21 per cent, Greater Vancouver (18 per cent) and Edmonton (12 per cent) have historically been the strongest markets for tourists, coming to Greater Vernon.

by Kevin Rothwell

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