offering more than 600 daily flights to 91 domestic cities and more than 1,000 weekly non-stop flights to 58 cities in 32 countries.
Ex-pats living in southern locations such as California, Arizona and Mexico with ties to the Okanagan are increasingly taking advantage of flight connections that provide access to world-class BC skiing. “Canadian ex-pats are required to spend a certain amount of time outside the country they live in and will often use that time to visit friends and family in Canada,” explains Christopher Nicolson, President of Sun Peaks Resort near Kamloops. “We have a guest who runs his own company in California, for example, and uses this time to meet up with his family at Sun Peaks for skiing holidays.”
“The whole LA basin is a key market for us and we’re very excited about the additional Kelowna/LA connection through United, ”adds Michael J. Ballingall, Senior Vice President at Big White Resort, 35 miles southeast of Kelowna. “We also see many ex-pats coming out of Mexico to ski.” Both Sun Peaks and Big White offer shuttle services from Kelowna Airport to their facilities, adding to the ease of access many ex-pats are looking for in choosing their Canadian destinations.
WestJet has changed its twice-weekly Kelowna to Las Vegas schedule to Thursday and Sunday from Tuesday and Sunday offered last year; this means that quick getaway to Vegas can now be conveniently booked over a weekend.
“Lots of people want to have three or four days in Las Vegas to include a weekend with no overnight stays coming or going, and this lets them do that,” says Sandi Melnick, owner/ manager of Uniglobe Kalamalka Travel in Vernon. “This change will also help us better market Las Vegas to the Okanagan incentive travel market – businesses can reward their most valued employees with a much needed break with a weekend escape to Las Vegas.”
For details on YLW’s winter destinations, visit
ylw.kelowna.ca.
FALL 2012 | 9
SOCIAL MEDIA & REAL ESTATE
The advent of the Internet and the creation of the MLS listings gives the public more access to real estate listings than ever before. It is estimated that over 90% of buyers will have seen their ’new home’ online prior to making the purchase, but this is old news…
Social media is the new kid on the block and with a combined usage of almost 20 million Canadians, Twitter and Facebook are an information source to be reckoned with. Massive amounts of data posted in real time are available on your smartphone 24/7; it’s changed how people communicate and real estate is taking notice.
Subscribing to a REALTOR® ’s social network feed, like OKgrant, can yield a wealth of
useful information at your fingertips. New listings, open houses, mortgage trends and housing statistics are just some of the information updated daily. Let’s not forget the social component as well, I like to post local events, festivals and other interesting Okanagan facts. Following me is a great way to stay on top of the area we call home, whether you live here now or are considering a move. Who knows, you might even learn a little about me too!
Like me on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/OKgrant before October 31, 2012 and be entered to win a night out at West Kelowna’s new Okanagan Lake Shopping Center including an entertainment package to the Landmark 8 Cinema.
Follow Grant at Twitter @OKgrantkelowna and Facebook at OKgrant Grant Waidman, REALTOR®
Phone 250-859-1747
e-mail:
grant@grantwaidman.com #212-1980 Cooper Road, Kelowna, BC
www.OKgrant.com
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