Increasing the amount of U.S. tourists coming to the North Okanagan was a key issue discussed during a recent round table on tourism.
More than a dozen representatives from the tourism sector joined Blake Richards, chairperson of the parliamentary caucus on tourism, during the Greater Vernon Chamber of Commerce event.
“The Alberta MP noted that there has been renewed interest in the tourism caucus on Parliament Hill as representatives from all parties realize how important tourism is to the country’s economy,” said Dan Rogers, chamber of commerce general manager.
“Attendees raised concerns about the need to help promote small communities globally as there are limited resources they can tap into.”
And while some operators have recently seen an increase in visitors from the U.S., some believe more can be down to promote tourism south of the border.
Richards agreed and stated that the federal budget saw an increased investment in promoting Canada in the U.S. market.
MLA Eric Foster also attended the forum as did Vernon Coun. Catherine Lord and officials from Tourism Vernon and various tourism-related businesses.
