Our Community and Visitor Engagement team's ability to provide service to travellers and residents—which occurs at our Kelowna Visitor Centre (KVC), at the airport kiosk in the Kelowna International Airport (YLW), as well as with our mobile team, who attends events, festivals, and conferences—would not be possible without the support of our dedicated volunteer base.
Volunteer Program - 2022 Recap
The KVC and the Airport Kiosk were open all year, with an increase in visitors after most restrictions were lifted in April. Many volunteers returned after restrictions were lifted, while some opted to resign. In 2022, the program went from 64 registered volunteers to 50. Of those volunteers that remained, more than 70% volunteered regularly, up slightly over 2021.
We increased the number of in-person events we hosted in 2022. This allowed us to increase the number of volunteer recognition and engagement events, including the return to in-person monthly meetings and more full-day familiarization tours. Volunteers were also recognized during National Volunteer Week and at receptions at the end of the summer and for the holidays.
Between January and December 2022, Tourism Kelowna’s volunteers contributed approximately 3,646 hours or 2 FTE positions. Of these hours, 1,321 hours were from volunteers at the KVC, and 2,325 hours were from volunteers at the airport kiosk. This saves our organization approximately $63,805 in labour per year.
2022 Survey Results
When the annual volunteer survey for 2022 was conducted, Tourism Kelowna’s Community and Visitor Engagement team consisted of 50 volunteers. The survey had a 42% response rate, split evenly between volunteers from the KVC and the airport kiosk.
When asked what their favourite part about volunteering with Tourism Kelowna was, the overwhelming answer, similar to previous years, was interacting with and meeting people.
The top five desired forms of recognition are:
- A Tourism Kelowna staff/board member saying thank you
- A visitor saying thank you
- A recognition event or reception
- Complimentary refreshments at meetings
- A gift
As with the 2021 survey, all of this year's respondents said they are comfortable approaching the volunteer coordinator with concerns, questions, or praise for their volunteer position and program.
When rating overall satisfaction with Tourism Kelowna’s volunteer program on a scale of 0 to 100, the program scored 88 out of 100, slightly lower than 2021. When asked if they would recommend volunteering at Tourism Kelowna to a friend, the program scored 90 out of 100, also down slightly from 2021.
