It is with deep regret that we have made the difficult decision to close South Okanagan e-Bike Safaris with immediate effect.
Closing our Business
It is with deep regret that we have made the difficult decision to close South Okanagan e-Bike Safaris with immediate effect. After 6 years of having so much fun taking our guests out in the magnificent South Okanagan, 2023 proved to be the toughest year yet, even after surviving two years of COVID.
The deterioration in the economic climate resulting in financial struggles for so many families all over Canada, took its toll on the tourism industry in the South Okanagan as a whole this year. That coupled with outbreaks of wildfires all around the Central and South Okanagan and landslides along Highway 97 disrupting travel to this region made it even more difficult for this service sector. Then, on August 19, 2023, the Provincial Government imposed travel restrictions to this region following wildfires in West Kelowna, only to lift them two days later, dramatically impacting and essentially shutting down the leisure industry in Central and South Okanagan for the remainder of the summer. Unfortunately, all the encouragement and advertising on social media by hotels and tourism organisations to inspire visitors to re-book and return to the South Okanagan had minimal effect. The travel industry has a long road ahead to recovery and in the short term, this is not sustainable for us.
From all accounts, the financial climate is unlikely to improve in the short term, the economy is going to continue to struggle for some time to come whilst families grapple with the cost of living and keeping a roof over their heads. With this top of mind, we feel with much sadness, that our best solution is to step down now and say goodbye.
We have already sold most of our 2019 Cube e-bikes to some of our past customers but we still have a few left as well as the two Trek bikes we used whilst guiding. If you’re possibly interested in purchasing, please either give us a call on 250 689 2786 or email us at okebikesafaris@gmail.com
From the bottom of our hearts, we would like to thank everyone who booked one or more of our Safari experiences, we truly appreciated the business and we thoroughly enjoyed meeting all of you. Thank you to everyone who took the time to write reviews for us, we were blown away by your kindness and thoughtfulness. We will definitely miss you all as well as meeting new people and showing them this most beautiful part of BC.
And finally, we want to thank all the local visitors centres, tourism organisations, hotels, motels, wineries and other small businesses for their endless encouragement, support and cooperation, and for helping us to provide our guests with the best possible experiences that kept many of them coming back to us time and time again.
We wish everyone who has had any involvement with us and/or our business, the very best for your futures and hope you will find happiness, wealth good health and love in 2024.