ENTERTAINMENT
MOTORING
OKANAGAN SUN prepare to host BCFC rivals the Vancouver Island Raiders this weekend at the Apple Bowl.
ASH GRUNWALD is an Aussie power bluesman and avid snowboarder who has made a habit of touring mountain resort areas, but has come down for a concert at the Minstrel Cafe on Aug. 21.
CALL IT a tall wagon or a ‘mini’ minivan, but Ford’s new C-Max Energi plug-in hybrid is a practical people carrier with the added benefit of a hybrid powertrain.
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Weekend Edition
FRIDAY August 2, 2013 The Central Okanagan’s Best-Read Newspaper www.kelownacapnews.com
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PHOTOS: CAPITAL NEWS / GRAPHIC: KIANA HANER-WILK
T
oday marks the beginning of Kelowna’s biggest tourism weekend of the year. Parking spots will be more difficult to locate, as will patches of sand to spread beach towels over. Thirty minute waits will be expected at downtown restaurants and pubs; the word “no” will be spotted on most hotel vacancy signs. For locals, the minor inconveniences are well worth it—the population swell is good news for local businesses. And, if Tourism Kelowna’s anecdotal evidence
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is any indication, the business of being a destination has been pretty good so far this summer. Despite the devastating flooding that may have stopped several Albertans from travelling west in late June and early July, the majority of local accommodations are reporting increased numbers compared to last summer. Well over 20,000 out-of-towners will be arriving over the next three days thanks to Kelowna’s biggest entertainment and sports festival—Monster Energy Center of Gravity. It’s a mammoth event expected to
spill $6 million into the local economy. Though all seems well in the local tourism industry, Tourism Kelowna’s recent push to build a new visitor centre in City Park has a significant slice of the population less than amused. In this week’s Close-up, Capital News reporter Wade Paterson looks at the tourism number projections for this summer, what residents and visitors can expect this weekend and why Tourism Kelowna feels its necessary to set up shop in City Park. See story on page A3
Learn more: 250-712-6363 or RegencyResorts.ca
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