The May long weekend is generally considered the kick-off to summer tourist season in B.C.’s Okanagan region, with tourists pouring into the area to enjoy everything from boating on lakes to wine tours.
In the South Okanagan, however, the weekend was a bit of a dud for some tourism operators.
“There were direct cancellations due to flooding,” said Natasha Mitchener, owner of Wine Tours Gone South, based in Osoyoos.
“We had a lot of people calling to say they just didn’t want to come.”
Mitchener estimates business was down 40 per cent from previous May long weekends.
Flooded lakefront home in the town of Osoyoos. (Brady Strachan/CBC)
Several communities in the South
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