Tourism needs to be creative

“The media have really hurt tourism with its constant coverage of the fires and smoke,” is something we’ve heard for the last few summers from Okanagan tourism officials.

Tourism in British Columbia is down — way down — thanks to Mother Nature. While getting an actual statistic is nearly impossible, most operators will tell you privately that many potential tourists are avoiding B.C..

With smoke and fire being the new norm, I’d be hesitant to organize any kind of outdoor festival. Even if it’s not cancelled (like the Peach Classic soccer tournament and Super League triathlon in Penticton, the Peach City Triathlon in Kelowna), some attendees are likely to stay home because of breathing issues.

But, rather than complain, feel sorry for ourselves, or shout “fake news,” tourism operators need to fight fire with fire. (Forgive me for the tacky cliche.)

Let’s look to Toronto to see how it can be done.

Western Canadians might vaguely recall the tragic SARS outbreak in Toronto in 2003. An elderly woman returned from a trip to Hong Kong, where it’s believed she contracted the virus. It eventually infected 257 people in Ontario and claimed the lives of 44 Canadians, mostly healthcare workers from Toronto.

Everyone avoided Toronto, they were terrified to travel to Canada’s largest city. There was even talk of the Blue Jays not playing their home games there due to the threat of spreading the virus around Major League Baseball.

Toronto offers a world-class theatre district, three of the four major professional sports franchises, the CN Tower, Ontario Place, cool festivals, and amazing shopping and restaurants.

It wasn’t worth the risk to most people even though, statistically, there were better odds of being struck by a taxi while crossing the street in Ottawa.

How did Toronto’s tourism operators react to the crisis? They offered deals. It began with the Blue Jays, which for a handful of games offered all seats that weren’t already sold for $2. The dome was sold out for the first time since the glory days of Joe Carter and Roberto Alomar.

There was Molson Canadian Rocks for Toronto, better known as SARSStock, a mega-concert that attracted 500,000 people to hear The Stones, Rush, AC/DC, The Guess Who and Justin Timberlake, along with an all-star lineup earlier in the day of Canadian talent. Toronto’s healthcare workers received free tickets.

Then, groups banded together and offered an outrageous overnight package. It was along the lines of a restaurant meal, hotel room, and Jays’ game or play for $99, plus tax (no phony service charges or catches.)

People came back to Toronto. Nothing alleviates the fear of a medial crisis more than an outrageous deal on a hotel room.

If tourism operators here are suffering, maybe it’s time to add the words “deal” and “bargain” to their vocabulary and work together with everyone to show the world we still have a lot to offer, even indoors.

Bundle up a wine tour (which can be done indoors), a hotel room, restaurant meal and one of our cool indoor attractions (a museum, the Osoyoos Desert Model Railroad, Desmios Escape Room, H20 Adventure and Fitness Centre) or nine holes of golf at one of our many great courses.

It would take some imagination and creativity — it couldn’t be dreamed up over a coffee — but, with all the innovative minds and leadership we have in Okanagan tourism, somebody should be able to figure something out.