Tone-deaf tourism industry whining.

[Catri]

Gotta keep that wildfire problem under your hats, wouldn't want to scare the tourists away!

https://www.castanet.net/news/Kelowna/3 ... sts#342454

“There’s a responsibility [to report the news,] and I get it, but you can also err to optimism, and not pessimism or just having shocking headlines.”

How about we wait until after fire season, until we know just how many British Columbians have been affected by this extraordinarily bad summer, before we whine about media coverage being so gosh-darn negative about all those people whose lives and properties are being threatened, and in some cases, destroyed, by fire. I feel so guilty, when I was packing my bags for the recent evac alert, I didn't even give a thought to how it might effect the tourism operators! So to them I say a great big, screw you, you selfish, money-hungry jerks!

I did get one good laugh from the article though

“Prime time will be anytime,” he said. “Prime time could be now. It could be in June, or October. You could go to wine country in December.”

Having spent 39 largely grey, bleak, cold Decembers there, I definitely think the guy saying that has never visited "wine country" in December.

[Babba_not_Gump]

So to them I say a great big, screw you, you selfish, money-hungry jerks!

Really? These hotels are on the verge of bankruptcy and all you can do is call them selfish, money-hungry jerks!

What do you want them to do? Just shut up and go away?
They are hurting and you don't give a damn.

Meanwhile they employ hundreds if not thousands of local people, but do you give a damn about them?

[kgcayenne]

Can hotels not be accommodating fire evacuees?

[Babba_not_Gump]

Can hotels not be accommodating fire evacuees?

Many hotels are holding rooms, reserved and paid for by Victoria, while many other rooms sit empty.

[common_sense_guy]

So to them I say a great big, screw you, you selfish, money-hungry jerks!

Really? These hotels are on the verge of bankruptcy and all you can do is call them selfish, money-hungry jerks!

What do you want them to do? Just shut up and go away?
They are hurting and you don't give a damn.

Meanwhile they employ hundreds if not thousands of local people, but do you give a damn about them?

Exactly my sentiments. People are so self-centered and selfish now. I wish people would think before they speak

[common_sense_guy]

Can hotels not be accommodating fire evacuees?

Many hotels are holding rooms, reserved and paid for by Victoria, while many other rooms sit empty.

How do you know rooms are sitting empty but have been paid for by the taxpayer? Because I doubt your statement I'm questioning it

[TylerM4]

Tourism is a major part of Kelowna's economy, and it's tourism dollars that got us through the 80's and 90's when we had almost no other industry and fruit prices were terrible.

I think it would do us well to support that industry. Or at least not balk at their efforts toward damage control.

[spooker]

So, while we're having emergencies that are forcing people out of their homes we should continue to promote BC as a tourist destination? Here ... let's have a lot of displaced people from one side mix with a lot of people with disposable incomes who want to party ... everyone wants to survive I understand, but luxuries will suffer first, that's just the way the world works ...

[Gilchy]

You're skipping the part where the "luxuries" are people's literal livelihood. After an insanely difficult year and a half for anyone in the hospitality or tourist sector, having customers is not a luxury but a necessity.

[TylerM4]

So, while we're having emergencies that are forcing people out of their homes we should continue to promote BC as a tourist destination? Here ... let's have a lot of displaced people from one side mix with a lot of people with disposable incomes who want to party ... everyone wants to survive I understand, but luxuries will suffer first, that's just the way the world works ...

If there was an actual problem I'd be with you on this. However, that's not the case.

What good does shooing the tourists away do? The vast majority of BC is NOT in a position of "We need the hotel rooms for displaced people". The vast majority of BC is in a good place to accommodate tourists today.

I personally think "No tourists allowed just in case there might be a major wildfire that impacts the area" is completely over the top. Might as well just shut down the industry completely then - Fires happen during normal summers, floods, hell a fiberglass plant could catch fire.

[Babba_not_Gump]

Many hotels are holding rooms, reserved and paid for by Victoria, while many other rooms sit empty.

How do you know rooms are sitting empty but have been paid for by the taxpayer? Because I doubt your statement I'm questioning it

Because I have friends and family that work in the hotel industry.

[spooker]

You're skipping the part where the "luxuries" are people's literal livelihood. After an insanely difficult year and a half for anyone in the hospitality or tourist sector, having customers is not a luxury but a necessity.

Maybe we need to rethink that too ... but then again my ideal "touring" experience is an unsupported bike ride with front and back panniers, and a trailer if I'm not going to do too many hills ... though I admit it's a bit more extreme than most would prefer ...

If there was an actual problem I'd be with you on this. However, that's not the case.

What good does shooing the tourists away do? The vast majority of BC is NOT in a position of "We need the hotel rooms for displaced people". The vast majority of BC is in a good place to accommodate tourists today.

I personally think "No tourists allowed just in case there might be a major wildfire that impacts the area" is completely over the top. Might as well just shut down the industry completely then - Fires happen during normal summers, floods, hell a fiberglass plant could catch fire.

This has nothing to do with keeping tourists away ... it's more about encouraging them with positive spin rather than being up front about what is happening in the area they might want to visit ...

Being dependent on a single industry was a bad position to get ourselves into ...

[Terris]

So, while we're having emergencies that are forcing people out of their homes we should continue to promote BC as a tourist destination? Here ... let's have a lot of displaced people from one side mix with a lot of people with disposable incomes who want to party ... everyone wants to survive I understand, but luxuries will suffer first, that's just the way the world works ...

Exactly...

Service sector (tourism) "industries" are tertiary, and are themselves reliant on the success of all primary industries.

There are many "high end" luxury businesses that have been floating along just fine for many years. Perhaps it's time to adjust their busine$$ plan$ to allow more less-than-luxuriou$ class peons to access their services if they want to survive; even if it means the owners have to sacrifice a golf membership or only having 1 vacation home...

The fruit industry here has had many ups and downs over the last 100+ years, yet still survives despite the removal of swaths of ALR lands to accommodate the luxury real estate markets. Farmers had to get smarter to survive, so theoretically at least, there are enough "high end" thinkers in the luxury accommodation business to figure out how they too can adapt to new realities...

Something has to give. Which do we need more, fresh food and affordable shelter, or $100/shot alcohol bars and $2000/day Heli ski trips??

[TylerM4]

This has nothing to do with keeping tourists away ... it's more about encouraging them with positive spin rather than being up front about what is happening in the area they might want to visit ...

Being dependent on a single industry was a bad position to get ourselves into ...

OK, but the article that started this conversation isn't doing that is it? They're not asking for a "positive spin" they're asking to dial back the sensationalism.

The reality is that it's pretty unlikely a vacationer is going to have his/her vacation ruined as a result of a wildfire in BC. But that's not the message that media is currently sending. I regularly talk with colleagues in Ontario as part of my work. Right now the bulk of them are convinced that the entire province is burning or under threat. They constantly ask me about fires and if/when I'm going to evacuate. For 99% of us - the impact of wildfires this season will be limited to that of dealing with smoky skies - THAT'S the message we should be sending to tourists.

BC is all ears if you have a suitable replacement for the tourism industry. Let's get moving on it already!

[Catri]

This has nothing to do with keeping tourists away ... it's more about encouraging them with positive spin rather than being up front about what is happening in the area they might want to visit ...

Being dependent on a single industry was a bad position to get ourselves into ...

This!!!

Maybe I should have been very specific about who my comments were directed at, but I thought that would be apparent to anyone who read the link. I am angry that these specific representatives of the hospitality industry are asking the media to soft-pedal, literally to put an "optimistic" spin on the fact that the interior is on fire, while people have lost everything, their homes, their livelihoods, in the case of those 2 people in Lytton, their lives, and thousands of others are still potentially in harm's way. It's gross.

As far as hotels go, I dunno, ESS were sending people from the Okanagan to Sun Peaks with their evac vouchers because they had no more rooms, so I don't know how many rooms are sitting empty...and neither does anyone else here.