In November 2022, Tourism Kelowna completed its annual resident survey to collect feedback about the tourism industry and Tourism Kelowna as an organization. The information collected from this survey allows us to monitor overall satisfaction and engagement, and spot trends or identify any items needing further attention or consideration.
This was the fourth year Tourism Kelowna completed this important survey. Results and insights from this survey are used to help guide decision-making and operations plans.
The results of the decided respondents include:
- 94% agree that tourism is an important industry in Kelowna and the Central Okanagan. This is similar to past years.
- 77% recognize the value of Tourism Kelowna's work and its impact on residents. This was a slight decrease over last year but in line with the average from the past four years.
- 24% have personally used or referred others to use the services of the Visitor Centre. This was a slight decrease compared to 2021 results but in line with the four-year average.
- 61% believe that Kelowna is currently attracting the right group of visitors. This is consistent with last year.
- 53% agree that tourism in Kelowna is a contributing factor in a general increase in their quality of life. This result is lower than in past years, and Tourism Kelowna will consider and develop ways to help local audiences understand how tourism can increase their quality of life.
- 62% feel local tourism experiences are offered at a fair value for the product or service received. This is a new question to the survey.
- 60% believe Kelowna has sufficient infrastructure and attractions to be considered a desirable tourism destination in the future. This result is lower than last year, and Tourism Kelowna will continue to monitor and seek further information from residents and local businesses on this topic.
- 82% agree that tourism provides good employment opportunities to Kelowna residents. This is consistent with last year's survey and the four-year average.
- 76% believe that money spent to attract tourism to Kelowna is a good investment. This is consistent with past years.
Respondents also encouraged Tourism Kelowna to support the tourism industry on the issues of labour and staffing costs; responsible tourism, including community and environmental impact; and overall cost issues facing businesses.
In recent years, Tourism Kelowna worked with the City of Kelowna to develop a Tourism Destination Development Plan, which was released late in 2022. Work continues to build out an action plan stemming from this report.
Recently, Tourism Kelowna expanded its organizational mandate to reflect the important contributions tourism plays in increasing residents’ quality of life and generating positive economic impact.
If you have questions about the 2022 resident engagement survey, contact me at chris.shauf@tourismkelowna.com.