Skip to content

EDITORIAL: Dream destination

There is something to be said for living in B.C., more so in the Okanagan, and even more in Penticton.

There is something to be said for living in B.C., more so in the Okanagan, and even more in Penticton.

Or just visiting, for that matter.

A recent Ipsos Reid poll showed that Canada is Canadian’s favourite vacation destination — the majority of participants agreed with the phrase ‘Canada has something for everyone, so why go anywhere else.’

And a quarter of the respondents said B.C. is their dream destination in Canada.

For those of us living here full time, it’s easy to forget what a spectacular place this province is, with every sort of geography from mountain to prairie, spectacular coastline and rain forests to Canada’s only pocket desert.

That’s tough to beat and Penticton, the place to stay forever, sits at the intersection of several terrain: lakes, rocky crags offering world-class climbing destinations,  grasslands, some of the best road and mountain biking terrain, all under blue sunny skies (well, a lot of the time anyways), not to mentions the wineries and the burgeoning craft breweries and distilleries in the area.

The last two weekends demonstrated another way Penticton has something to offer for everyone. Last weekend, some 700 classic cars lined Lakeshore Drive for the Peach City Peach Cruise, while Elvis tribute artists battled for the top spots in our world-famous Elvis Festival.

For the Canada Day weekend, there is even more beyond our traditional pancake breakfast in the park: the Rotary Rib Fest; Dragon Boat Regatta; a visit from the world’s longest water slide, all topped off with a fireworks show.

The list goes on: GranFondo Bike race, Challenge Penticton long distance Triathlon and many other events year round.

Is it any wonder people are clamouring to come here and enjoy just a taste of what we enjoy every day?

It’s something to think about the next time you hear someone say they are bored, or there is nothing to do around here. Let’s make sure we enjoy everything our home has to offer.