The provincial government is partnering with Tourism B.C. and the town of Osoyoos to build a $2 million visitor centre in the popular camping and skiing area.
The two-storey, 460-square-metre centre will offer visitors trip advice, reservation bookings, ticket services and souvenir sales.
According to government research, B.C. visitor centres have helped increase tourism revenue in the areas where they are located by encouraging visitors to extend their stay and boost daily spending. When asked, 36% of travellers reported learning about new activities after visiting a centre and 10% said they stayed at least one additional night.
The Osoyoos centre is one of six new visitor centres the province is building. Other centres recently upgraded include the visitor centres in Robson and Golden. Plans are underway to replace and expand the existing Peace Arch, YVR and Coquihalla visitor centres.
Building new centres and renovating existing ones is part of the province's strategy to double tourism revenues by 2015.