Kelowna Chamber of Commerce honours music store founder
Kelowna should have a non-stop flight to Las Vegas. “We’re working on one,” said Martha Dela Torre, Air Canada Vacations’ B.C. sales manager.
“In the meantime, we’re promoting the fact that people from Kelowna can connect to a flight to Vegas in Vancouver, Calgary or Edmonton. The Air Canada Rouge flight from Edmonton to Vegas is new this year.”
Torre was at the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority event held recently at Tantalus Winery in Kelowna.
The authority did a swing through Western Canada to hold sessions in Vancouver, Langley, Kelowna and Edmonton for travel agents, tour operators and media.
The goal, of course, is to promote Vegas as a tourist destination.
In many ways, you’d think Sin City doesn’t need touting.
After all, everyone knows Vegas is a gambling mecca, the entertainment capital of the world and a convention and trade show hotspot.
“Yes, 1.5 million Canadians come to Las Vegas every year, making it our No. 1 international market,” said the authority’s international market manager Fernando Hurtado.
“But, we’re continually marketing to encourage more Canadians to visit more often. Vegas is the perfect place for a guys’ golf trip, a girls’ spa getaway, to catch a concert by Celine Dion, Elton John, Cher, Lady Gaga or Aerosmith, eat at a celebrity chef restaurant or catch a Vegas Golden Knights’ hockey game.”
In fact, tonight’s Knights game against the Vancouver Canucks is almost sold out and most of the crowd in T-Mobile Arena will be Canadians cheering for the Canucks.
The Canucks will be back in Vegas on March 3.
NHL hockey is proving to be a boon to Vegas with expansion team Knights in their second season.
In 2020, Vegas will also be home to NFL with the Oakland Raiders relocating.
Hurtado dispelled the myth that Vegas is expensive.
“We have 150,000 hotel rooms and the average overnight rate is US$127,” he said.
“You can usually find a deal on airfare and there are a whole range of dining and entertainment options.”
Hurtado describes the Okanagan as a “huge feeder market” with visitors flying from Kelowna to Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton to connect to flights to Las Vegas.
“From Vancouver alone, tourists connecting from Kelowna have their choice of 14 weekly flights with Air Canada and 13 with WestJet,” he said. “There’s also upcoming lift with Flair Airlines from Edmonton (which Kelowna flyers can connect to after a Kelowna-Edmonton flight with Flair).”
WestJet had twice-weekly non-stop flights between Kelowna and Vegas until last year.
Now, the airline requires Kelowna passengers connect through its hubs in Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton for Vegas flights.
Biz leader of the year
For 52 years, the name Wentworth has been synonymous with music in Kelowna.
In recognition of that, the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce’s Business Excellence Awards has named Wentworth Music founder Dale Wentworth buiness leader of the year.
The chamber releases the name of the business leader of the year prior to the awards ceremony, which is tonight at the Delta Grand hotel.
In 1966, Dale joined his parents, Walt and Vera, to open a small music store in the Capri Shopping Centre to offer music lessons and sales, rentals and repairs of musical instruments.
In 1969, Dale’s wife, Hedy, joined as a music teacher.
Since then, their sons, Noel, Neil and Nori, have joined the business, as well as Noel’s wife, Lora, and Neil’s wife, Joanna.
“Not much has changed with our core values over the last 52 years,” said Dale.
“We are bigger now, with four store locations in the Okanagan, 65 staff and an internatinally recognized Music Education Centre.
“Dale and his family, from his parents, through his children, have demonstrated a high level of business acumen,” said chamber president Carmen Sparg.
Scrap the tax
The Kelowna Chamber of Commerce and the cities of Kelowna and West Kelowna would like to see the province’s proposed real estate speculation tax killed.
That’s why the chamber is complaining that Victoria’s recent amendments to the proposal are not enough.
“It’s still an anti-Canadian tax, punitive to B.C. residents, detrimental to the Kelowna housing market, hurting our workers and bad, based on economic studies of fact,” said chamber president Carmen Sparg.
The chamber calls the amendments window dressing at best and of no help to Kelowna and West Kelowna.
The province is implementing a speculation tax as a way to cool the housing market and make it more affordable.
However, the chamber said there’s no proof such a tax will make housing more affordable.
However, the tax will mean less home construction, less growth and fewer jobs.
Christian chamber
Kelowna is getting a chapter of the Canadian Christian Business Federation on Nov. 2.
“It’s like a Christian chamber of commerce,” said federation executive director Keith Knight.
Knight will travel from the federation’s head office in Winnipeg to Kelowna to launch the chapter at a breakfast meeting 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. at Third Space Coffee.
It’s free to attend, but you cover the cost of your own breakfast.
The meetings will continue monthly for any business, non-profit, professional or worker who applies Christian principles to their lives, business and work.
To reserve a spot at the lauch or find out more email ScottBurke@hotmail.com.