To the editor:
The support for a new visitor centre on the lakefront from Inn-Trust Hospitality and Quails香蕉视频直播� Gate is revealing. After searching for what Inn-Trust actually does, I discovered that they are a hotel management company with an address in Florida who (from their website) 香蕉视频直播渟treamline the work process resulting in highly profitable hotels香蕉视频直播ο憬妒悠抵辈; they turn 香蕉视频直播渁round distressed and under-performing luxury and boutique hotels into highly profitable assets and market leaders.香蕉视频直播�
So Killingsworth香蕉视频直播檚 support for the tourism centre downtown is attempting to assist the bottom line of a hotel somewhere in Kelowna. I don香蕉视频直播檛 know which hotel. His letter is, in any case, so full of meaningless language香蕉视频直播斚憬妒悠抵辈we need to move to the next level," 香蕉视频直播渨e need to put our best foot forward," 香蕉视频直播渂e where the people are," 香蕉视频直播渟tudies show that the vast majority香蕉视频直播ο憬妒悠抵辈香蕉视频直播攖hat I suspect Mr. Killingsworth simply isn香蕉视频直播檛 here and therefore literally doesn香蕉视频直播檛 know what he香蕉视频直播檚 talking about. If he is here perhaps he could identify himself and the hotel he thinks will profit from the elimination of public waterfront in downtown Kelowna.
However, his idea that we need to have a building on the waterfront to 香蕉视频直播渆nsure the comfort of our visitors香蕉视频直播� is just weird. Does he think that there is a disturbing confusion in the downtown area? "Where do I go? OMG I香蕉视频直播檓 lost! I think I香蕉视频直播檓 in a park and enjoying it but I know I香蕉视频直播檓 supposed to be spending money somewhere else香蕉视频直播�."
Tourism Kelowna itself is not the attraction. I have travelled a lot and 香蕉视频直播榤y study shows the vast majority香蕉视频直播� of cities have tourism centres in train stations, airports and other areas where people are in transit.
There isn香蕉视频直播檛 a tourism centre in the Louvre telling people what there is to do in Paris. The Louvre is the attraction.
We have natural beauty that is highly prized by visitors. There is very little we could build on the waterfront that would be more interesting than the lake. We should be very careful that we don香蕉视频直播檛 eliminate the attraction in our zeal to promote tourism.
Tony Stewart is even more transparent. It seems that he considers the raison d香蕉视频直播檈tre for Tourism Kelowna is to steer people from the downtown area to his winery. He trots out old standards like "the basic rule of business is go where the customers are." Perhaps he香蕉视频直播檚 planning to occupy a section of the proposed centre himself.
What he doesn香蕉视频直播檛 seem to understand is that the people who go to the downtown area and walk along the waterfront or go to the beach are actually enjoying what they are doing. That香蕉视频直播檚 why they香蕉视频直播檙e there. They aren香蕉视频直播檛 lost. It香蕉视频直播檚 one of the reasons they are in Kelowna in the first place.
Tourism Kelowna shouldn香蕉视频直播檛 be working for the Stewarts. Many major cities have recently done costly rehabilitation of waterfront areas, bringing them back to the public. Can we not learn from them?
If Kelowna city council created a competition for urban planners, not one of them would suggest building a 5,000-square-foot structure on the waterfront. Not for any reason. Makes you wonder who the planners are and where they got their training.
Neil Cadger, Kelowna
