Tourism Kelowna says its new lakeshore tourist centre in downtown Kelowna is off to a roaring success.
The centre, which opened June 28, saw more people pass through its doors in its first month than visited the old Highway 97 location in an entire year, said spokesman Chris Shauf.
“We opened on Thursday June 28 to ensure we could help as many visitors as possible over the busy Canada Day long weekend,” said Shauf. “We continue to see strong and steady traffic during our expanded (summer) hours, which allow us to serve the community and connect visitors with experiences to enjoy.”
During July, an average of 766 visitors went to the centre, which is located at the foot of Queensway. The average in July 2017 at the old location was 106.
In addition, more than $20,000 in merchandise was sold at the new centre last month, an 800 per cent increase over July 2017 sales.
The wood and glass building prompted controversy in the months leading up to its construction, with opponents claiming it was in the wrong location and the land it would sit on should have been used as a park, not a building site. Many also complained that city was providing the land for a business.
But Kelowna Tourism defended location saying it is where the majority of visitors to the city congregate - along the downtown lakeshore. It also rejected the accusation it was business, pointing to its task of promoting tourism in general across Kelowna. Tourism is one the city’s top economic drivers.
A packed and lengthy public hearing last year at city hall—that included hundreds of supporters and opponents of the new tourist centre plan—resulted in the land being rezoned to allow construction.
The site, a former parking lot, has never been used as parkland and was the original landing spot of the ferry that used to carry passengers across Okanagan Lake in the days before the first Okanagan Lake Floating Bridge was built.
Landscaping around the centre is currently being done by the City of Kelowna and is expected to be complete later this month.
To report a typo, email:
newstips@kelownacapnews.com.
@KelownaCapNews
newstips@kelownacapnews.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.