Every year, Tourism Kelowna surveys its voting members to collect feedback and gauge awareness and satisfaction levels with our programs and services. The information collected from the survey helps inform the future direction of our organization as well as day-to-day decision-making.
The 2024 Tourism Kelowna Member Survey highlighted strong awareness of the Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) and enthusiastic support for its programs. As in past years, members who actively engaged with Tourism Kelowna’s initiatives reported higher levels of satisfaction, underscoring the value of offering a range of opportunities to get involved and experience the benefits of these programs.
Key insights from Tourism Kelowna’s 2024 Member Survey show:
- 66% of survey respondents are aware of how Tourism Kelowna uses the Municipal and Regional District Tax (MRDT).
- 75% of survey respondents were satisfied overall with Tourism Kelowna fulfilling its mission.
- Overall satisfaction with Tourism Kelowna's service areas remained strong, with five out of six service areas showing increases over 2023. On a 5-point scale, levels of satisfaction were:
- 4.1 for visitor centre services to extend stays and increase spending.
- 4.0 for destination attraction for leisure travel.
- 3.8 for destination management support (e.g. sustainable tourism).
- 3.6 for member advertising and promotion, destination attraction for meetings and conferences, and destination attraction for major sports and entertainment.
The 2024 Tourism Kelowna Member Survey revealed ongoing challenges impacting the local tourism industry, such as rising travel costs, wildfires, short-term rental restrictions, and agricultural losses. Just over half of the respondents reported declines in gross revenue compared to the previous year, underscoring how some businesses within the sector were affected by the year's challenges. On the positive side, 2024 saw fewer wildfire and smoke disruptions within the region, allowing for a more positive travel experience. Through it all, businesses continued to demonstrate their resilience and adaptability.
While the response rate for 2024 was slightly lower than previous years, the survey still maintains a statistical margin of error of ±7% (19 times out of 20), ensuring the data is both valuable and reliable.
The information gathered from the survey will play a vital role in shaping Tourism Kelowna’s strategies and advocacy efforts as we continue to support our members in navigating ongoing challenges. With the tourism landscape constantly evolving, maintaining strong communication, collaboration, and flexibility will help Tourism Kelowna and its members thrive and build even greater success together moving forward.
If you have any questions about this survey or would like to join Tourism Kelowna as a member, please contact Jacqui Dowling at jacqui@tourismkelowna.com or (250) 861-1515 ext. 214. You may also contact Lisanne Ballantyne at lisanne@tourismkelowna.com or (250) 861-1515 ext. 202.
