Kelowna will have its Centre

The public's objection to the tourism centre has been focused on its location and cost.  Whether or not you believe Tourism Kelowna's argument that a physical location is needed, the discussion has been exhausted.  Kelowna will have its Tourism Centre as proposed. 
 
But there is yet another argument to be ignored by the city. In an age where nearly everyone under the age of 70 is connected to the internet, why would tourists waste vacation time visiting a building only to receive information they can find on their cell or tablet? I was made aware of that in 2008 when visitors from the UK politely declined the brochures I had collected to help them navigate the highlights of Kelowna and the Okanagan. They already had the information. 
 
Of all the brochures available at the airport and hotels, the best in my opinion, is the annual "Kelowna Map Book and Guide". This guide, and the internet, is all that tourists and locals need to find their way around. I keep old copies of the guide to give to visitors and locals who have lost their way. It is too valuable to discard.
 
A tourist centre building would be an anachronism in today's world, a memorial to how things were done before the electronic age.

Helen Schiele