by Christine Petkau
In the fall of 2012 the Summerland Chamber launched a tourism branding project with the support of the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association and the help of many of our local tourism stakeholders.
The new tourism brand – Summerland: Take Your Time – was the outcome of that project. Our next step was to separate the tourism website from our chamber website and create a standalone tourism site that would incorporate this new brand.
This project has been in the works for the past year and is part of the chamber’s responsibilities in managing the community’s tourism portfolio. On an annual basis, this includes managing our visitor centre, creating our printed visitor guide, promoting the community and presenting the annual Festival of Lights.
We are delighted to report that this website project is now complete. The partnership of TOTA, financially and otherwise, has been invaluable. We have also worked with a talented team of designers, photographers and web developers to achieve the overall look and feel of the site.
We are fortunate in that local author Denise Howie has written all the content for the new website. Incorporating a flair for research, the awareness of a local for what’s special about Summerland, and an incomparable voice in which to express who we are, Denise has done an outstanding job of conveying our desire for our visitors to take their time and enjoy all Summerland has to offer. More than 80 pages of beautiful photography, local’s tips and top activity lists detail the best about Summerland.
The launch party was held Tuesday, May 6 at the Summerland Waterfront Resort with more than 100 guests and dignitaries in attendance.
Summerland’s tourism video, created by et2media, was launched at the same event. This video was created with the additional financial support of the District of Summerland and is located on the home page of the new site. Please check it out at tourismsummerland.com.
We appreciate your feedback. Please contact me at manager@summerlandchamber.com or chamber president Arlene Fenrich, at president@summerlandchamber.com.
Christine Petkau is the manager of the Summerland Chamber of Commerce.