If tourist centres aren’t already obsolete, they certainly will be in the future

Editor: I am writing to add my voice to the chorus of people who have written critically about the proposed new tourism information centre in downtown Kelowna.

My argument against this proposal is based on the advancements in technology in recent years.

I have been a resident in Kelowna since 1974, and I have long accepted the vast opportunities that technology offers us today.

This technology has given us access to all the information that our present tourism centre offers, but by use of our cellphones, computers, and other forms of technology.

The reason the existing tourism facilities are being used less is testament that visitors are accessing this information without the need to visit a centre.

No doubt long before any visitor has landed at our airport or arrived at our city limits, they have done some internet investigation.

Technology has made the current model of service out of date. Therefore, I believe new technology will surpass the need for this new building before it would open.

Currently, there are sources for individuals to access Kelowna tourism information without visiting a centre.

One of these sources is tourismkelowna.com. This website lists things to do, places to stay, to eat and drink, events, tourist information, meetings, sports, travel media, travel trade and much more.

Another source is tripadvisor.ca, where tourists can find top-10 things to do in Kelowna and a tourist map.

People interested in visiting Kelowna are using these sources and therefore do not need to visit a tourism centre.

Spending money on a new building to provide information that is already available on the internet is as sensible as the City of Kelowna advertising programs in the yellow pages. These ways of providing information are nearly obsolete.

Technology has given us the means of providing information more easily and in cost-effective ways.

I am suggesting that we provide selfserve kiosks as an alternative to this new expensive building.

Today, we can buy our groceries and check in at the airport by such means; these ways are not new to the world.

Kiosks are an upgrade to the information centre in that they can be more accessible because the information centre is unavailable to the public after certain hours.

Kiosks could be used 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. These would be similar to a bank machine in size and function.

These machines would offer resources that one could find at an information centre or a website and could be placed near The Sails in front of City Park or near City Hall, where they may be easily accessed by tourists, but not obstruct any views within our downtown spaces.

I suggest they also be placed at the current Highway 97 location. This way, there is no need to develop more city land to accommodate a building whose function will be unnecessary in coming years.

The kiosks could be sponsored by organizations within Kelowna who wish to benefit from advertising through this resource.

If the technology sector in Kelowna was to speak up, it would say that building this new information centre makes as much sense as it would be to invest in a telephone-booth business.

Tourism Kelowna should consider inviting people to planning meetings that are in front of the curve instead of behind.

R. Erickson, Kelowna