In the old days, word-of-mouth advertising occurred on the street.

Today, it happens over the Internet. And Tourism Kelowna is tapping into that with it latest initiative.

KelownasJuicyTips.com is a new Internet blog that Tourism Kelowna has started to tell the world about the Central Okanagan and its hidden gems.

And it wants you to join in the conversation— not just to read the blog entries but to comment on them and tell other readers what you think makes this area special.

“(Visitors) want that inside knowledge of people who live here,” said Catherine Frechette, media relations manager for the Tourism Kelowna and the organization’s designated blogger. “That’s what we want this blog to offer.”

At least once a week—and likely more often—Frechette will update the blog with news of hidden treasures to be found in this area. Whether it’s the best place for a picnic, where to find the best ice-cream or a hidden-away restaurant off the tourist path that offers the best pasta in town, Tourism Kelowna wants to know about it.

And, in turn, it wants the blog’s readers around the world not only to know about it too but to hear why its special directly from people who live here.

In this day and age of corporate spin, local tourism officials say the aim of the blog is to have people talk to people, passing along the type of tips that turn an everyday holiday into a special memory.

“We are trying to get a dialogue going,” said Frechette, who in addition to her media relations role with Tourism Kelowna and her blogging, also participates each week in a five-minute travel segment on local radio station 103.9 The Juice.

The segments, running during the summer, focus on the little things that make Kelowna a special place.

For Tourism Kelowna, the venture into social networking is new.

“The primary goal of our new blog is to strengthen our marketing of Kelowna with consumers,” said Nancy Cameron, Tourism Kelowna’s CEO. “The nature of blogging is to provide a personal voice and character with which people can identify.”

She said recommendations that come from blogs are often attractive to visitors because many place a high level of faith in the experiences of other people, be they travellers or locals.

And doing that over the Internet means those comments can be seen around the world.

While Internet advertising is not new, the use of social networking is only starting to be used in the tourism industry, said Cameron. It not only has cost advantages over traditional advertising, in this time of economic uncertainty, it also gives organizations like Kelowna Tourism the added flexibility to change messages on the fly and include breaking news.

During the recent U.S. Open golf championship, the local tourism organization advertised on TSN and when people clicked on the web page address that was given, they were linked directly to a page featuring a golf package that had already been put together, including rounds of golf at local courses and accommodation.

“For some time now we have been shifting more away from awareness to providing packages,” said Frechette.

“And the web is a great way to reach out and let people research and book on line.”

Still, Frechette said the web approach has to be very strategic and very tactical.

“What we are going after here are niche markets.”

awaters@kelownacapnews.com