DESTINATION SILVER STAR, TOURISM VERNON, OKANAGAN INDIAN BAND, AND SILVERSTAR MOUNTAIN RESORT FORM A TOURISM COLLECTIVE CALLED "EXPLORE NORTH OKANAGAN"
SILVER STAR, B.C. March 28, 2024 - A regional tourism collective called "Explore North Okanagan" aims to achieve more awareness through collaboration. This spring, tourism partners Destination Silver Star, Tourism Vernon, Okanagan Indian Band, and SilverStar Mountain Resort launched the cooperative marketing campaign. The strategy includes a new website exploreokanagan.com, unique branding and a digital marketing campaign inviting guests to explore nature, celebrate every season with unique special events, and develop a greater understanding and respect for the cultures and history of the people who have called this place home since time immemorial.
Destination BC funding helped support this initiative through its Cooperative Marketing Partnerships Program. Since 2015, the program has helped partners drive consumer demand and increase tourism revenues in communities throughout the province by investing in seasons and areas where capacity to grow tourism exists. Destination Silver Star led the application on behalf of the partners initially in late 2022 with significant funding to launch the collective awarded in the middle of 2023.
"The cooperative funding support has helped us collaborate with neighbouring communities to collectively market this region as a thriving outdoor sports and culture haven with many diverse experiences to discover. Travellers will find scenic beauty, a thriving artisanal scene, outstanding locally owned restaurants, and Indigenous culture and heritage," says Cassandra Zerebeski, Executive Director of Destination Silver Star. "We are grateful to the support of Destination BC; consortiums like this help us craft stories and drive inspiration for visitors to better understand the character of this region, the unique experiences available here, and the numerous ways to travel and experience the gems of the North Okanagan. We look forward to welcoming more of our neighbouring communities including Lumby and Armstrong into the collective throughout 2024."
The core experiences for North Okanagan are built around adventure, connecting to what's real through Indigenous cultural experiences and immersive nature activities, discovering local events and new experiences off the beaten track in small towns, and relaxing with spa and wellness offerings in some of British Columbia's finest spa resorts including Sparkling Hill Resort.
Spring highlights of things to do in the North Okanagan include Silver Star and SilverStar Mountain Resort's exciting spring events rolling through the last few weeks of their snowy season. Between the SEISMIC Festival starting March 29 through to the mountain's official closing day on April 7, the Tails on Trails skijoring event featuring teams of dogs and their humans on Saturday, March 30 and the iconic Sovereign2SilverStar Ski Marathon on April 6 and 7, there are so many reasons to celebrate in the mountains of North Okanagan.
Spring is unfolding in all of its glory in the valley, and the best way to witness the transformation of the season on the land is by exploring over 300 km of spectacular trails in Greater Vernon, "The Official Trails Capital of B.C." Follow mountain routes over granite rock formations to stunning vistas overlooking turquoise lakes, discover waterfalls hidden deep in centuries-old forests, or choose a trail leading right out of town for a little evening stroll.
North Okanagan's lovely communities are chock full of welcoming people, scenic wonders, and shopping gems. There are also an amazing number of chef-driven restaurants that take advantage of the bounty of local ingredients close at hand in this celebrated agricultural haven.
Later in the spring K’nmaĺka Sәnqâĺten (Kalamalka Garden) will bloom with a wonderful combination of plant diversity and traditional medicines when it opens again to the public this spring. K’nmaĺka Sәnqâĺten contains a full display of Indigenous plants harvested throughout the Okanagan territory by the Syilx Okanagan people and is a place of honour, respect, and passion promoting the shared knowledge of the Syilx Okanagan people and their connection to the land, the uses of traditional plants, and an understanding of Syilx ceremony, traditions and oral history.
"The North Okanagan is a region worth celebrating and talking about, and we value the impact collaborative marketing and partnerships bring to projects," says Torrie Silverthorn, Manager for Tourism Vernon. "We were thrilled when Destination Silver Star approached us to be a part of this partnership, and we appreciate Destination BC's support and the potential they, too, see in the North Okanagan as a tourism destination."
Discover Explore North Okanagan and follow along at @explorenorthokanagan on Instagram or on Facebook.
About Destination Silver Star -destinationsilverstar.com
Centrally located in the heart of B.C.'s Okanagan Valley rests Silver Star Mountain in the Monashee Mountain Range. The vibrant village is a beacon for adventure in the mountains, and the people are its heart and soul. Big ideas and boundless energy inspired by the "Silver Queen" mine and the first ski turns in the early 1930s. Nearly a century later, the same spirit is championing a thriving destination resort on the cusp of its next chapter. Founded in 2021, Destination Silver Star is a not-for-profit, membership-based organization representing accommodations, attractions, restaurants, retail, and homeowners.
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