To the editor:
The support for a new visitor centre on the lakefront from Inn-Trust Hospitality and Quails91裸聊视频 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) 91裸聊视频渟treamline the work process resulting in highly profitable hotels91裸聊视频91裸聊视频; they turn 91裸聊视频渁round distressed and under-performing luxury and boutique hotels into highly profitable assets and market leaders.91裸聊视频
So Killingsworth91裸聊视频檚 support for the tourism centre downtown is attempting to assist the bottom line of a hotel somewhere in Kelowna. I don91裸聊视频檛 know which hotel. His letter is, in any case, so full of meaningless language91裸聊视频91裸聊视频渨e need to move to the next level," 91裸聊视频渨e need to put our best foot forward," 91裸聊视频渂e where the people are," 91裸聊视频渟tudies show that the vast majority91裸聊视频91裸聊视频91裸聊视频攖hat I suspect Mr. Killingsworth simply isn91裸聊视频檛 here and therefore literally doesn91裸聊视频檛 know what he91裸聊视频檚 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 91裸聊视频渆nsure the comfort of our visitors91裸聊视频 is just weird. Does he think that there is a disturbing confusion in the downtown area? "Where do I go? OMG I91裸聊视频檓 lost! I think I91裸聊视频檓 in a park and enjoying it but I know I91裸聊视频檓 supposed to be spending money somewhere else91裸聊视频."
Tourism Kelowna itself is not the attraction. I have travelled a lot and 91裸聊视频榤y study shows the vast majority91裸聊视频 of cities have tourism centres in train stations, airports and other areas where people are in transit.
There isn91裸聊视频檛 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 don91裸聊视频檛 eliminate the attraction in our zeal to promote tourism.
Tony Stewart is even more transparent. It seems that he considers the raison d91裸聊视频檈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 he91裸聊视频檚 planning to occupy a section of the proposed centre himself.
What he doesn91裸聊视频檛 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. That91裸聊视频檚 why they91裸聊视频檙e there. They aren91裸聊视频檛 lost. It91裸聊视频檚 one of the reasons they are in Kelowna in the first place.
Tourism Kelowna shouldn91裸聊视频檛 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