The destination marketing organization responsible for promoting tourism in Osoyoos, B.C., is lauding an article by TripAdvisor that names the Okanagan town as one of North America’s best lake towns for relaxation or adventure.

The popular online American travel website, which claims to be the largest in the world, included Osoyoos and Kelowna as part of its top 18 list posted on Feb. 20.

Kelley Glazer, executive director with Destination Osoyoos, said the organization wasn’t alerted that Osoyoos made the cut until after the article was posted.

“It is definitely great, free advertising,” she said on Sunday.

“Known for warm water, beautiful beaches and surrounding vineyards, Osoyoos is a majestic lake town not to be missed,” the website stated.

The article boasted about the many wine tours available in Osoyoos and also suggested sightseeing opportunities.

“Drive or hike up to Anarchist Mountain Lookout, where you’ll enjoy spectacular, uninterrupted views of the Okanagan Valley and parts of Washington state,” it said.

Glazer said the feature may encourage prospective visitors from the U.S. to travel to the desert town, a market that Osoyoos is hoping to attract.

“Osoyoos has enjoyed a very healthy tourism traffic, but our reach is typically not that far geographically,” she said.

“We tend to pull a lot of traffic from the Lower Mainland and up our own valley as far as Kamloops and Vernon and a little bit into Alberta. Something like this will give us the opportunity to reach out to people much further afield, perhaps impact our U.S. visitation a little more.”

She said it is challenging to track the correlation between advertising and visitor numbers but notes that online travel sites like TripAdvisor can have a major influence on bookings.

“Buying advertising and saying what you are and who you are these days is not nearly as valuable to the consumer as unpaid media or the kind of validation you would get from a social media site like TripAdvisor,” Glazer said.

Kelowna was also named by the travel website as one of the top 18 lakeside towns to visit in North America.

“Kelowna is well known for its stunning vineyards, and there is no shortage of wine tours available to experience it all,” said the feature article.

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