We want to recognize and celebrate some of the award wins and highlight notable news from our local tourism industry over the past few months.

Award Wins

2025 National Wine Awards of Canada

^{Mission Hill Family Estate. Image credit: Wines of BC}

In June 2025, Mission Hill Family Estate was crowned Winery of the Year at the 2025 WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada for the sixth time, marking a historic milestone as Canada’s most awarded winery in the awards' 25-year history. 

Mission Hill's win means Kelowna area wineries have claimed the top spot in three of the past four years:

• SpearHead Winery was awarded both Winery of the Year and Best Performing Small Winery in 2024, after winning Best Performing Small Winery in 2022.
• CedarCreek Estate Winery won Winery of the Year for the third time in 2022.

This year, SpearHead claims the third spot on the Top 10 Small Wineries list, as well as the number 4 spot on the list of Top 25 Wineries in Canada. Quails'​ Gate Winery, Tantalus Vineyards, and CedarCreek join Mission Hill and SpearHead on the Top 25 Wineries list at spots 6, 10, and 14, respectively.

Numerous other wineries from Kelowna and the Central Okanagan also took home medals in the competition—a complete list of winners in each category can be found on the WineAlign website.

2025 BC Restaurant Hall of Fame Inductees

^{Image and quote credit: BC Restaurant & Foodservices Association (BCRFA) LinkedIn posts}

As part of its 20th anniversary celebration, the BC Restaurant and Foodservices Association (BCRFA) inducted 23 remarkable individuals into the BC Restaurant Hall of Fame at a gala ceremony on October 20, including two individuals from the Central Okanagan:

• Local Champion: Chef Roger Sleiman, Quails' Gate Estate Winery
• Supplier: Jon Crofts, Codfather's Seafood Market

38th Annual Kelowna Chamber Business Excellence Awards

^{Image credit: Big White's LinkedIn page}

The team at Big White Ski Resort took home the 2025 Excellence in Tourism Award at the 38th Annual Kelowna Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards. Michael J. Ballingall, Big White’s Senior Vice President and valued Tourism Kelowna Board Member, was also honoured as 2025 Business Leader of the Year.

Sponsored by Tourism Kelowna, the Excellence in Tourism Award celebrates a business that goes above and beyond to showcase the very best of our region’s hospitality, delivering exceptional visitor experiences, demonstrating a commitment to excellence and sustainability, and contributing to the vibrant growth and reputation of Kelowna’s tourism industry.

Several tourism-related businesses and community partners were also recognized with awards across other categories, including:

• Excellence in Agriculture Award: Days Century Growers
• Indigenous Business of the Year Award: Kekuli Cafe 
• Mid-Size Business of the Year Award: GreenStep Solutions

Visit the Kelowna Chamber’s website for the full list of honourees.

Additional Wins

• Okanagan Spirits Craft Distillery's Laird of Fintry Single Malt Whisky and its Cask Strength edition both won Gold Medals at the prestigious 2025 World Spirits Awards in Germany, placing the Okanagan Valley firmly on the global whisky map.
• Several Kelowna and area wineries made the BC Wine Awards Top 50 2025 list: Arrowleaf Cellars, CedarCreek Estate Winery, Mission Hill Family Estate, Mt. Boucherie Estate Winery, Peak Cellars, Summerhill Pyramid Winery, and Volcanic Hills Estate Winery. 
• In September, the City of Kelowna won two awards from the Community Energy Association at the Union of B.C. Municipalities annual conference for its innovative climate projects.

Notable News

Community

• On October 31, World Cities Day, Kelowna was designated as Canada's first UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy—read all the details here. 
• In September, y̓il̓mixʷm (Chief) Robert Louie was appointed to the Order of British Columbia.
• The second annual Rock the Foundation, proudly presented by Big White Ski Resort in late August, raised more than $60,000 in support of the Kelowna General Hospital (KGH) Foundation’s youth mental health programs.

Industry

• Big White Ski Resort is one of three finalists for the Business of the Year Award at this year's Canadian Tourism Awards, which will be handed out on November 20 as part of TIAC's 2025 Tourism Congress. 
• At the end of October, Kelowna International Airport welcomed the inaugural Pacific Coastal Airlines non-stop service from Cranbrook to Kelowna. In addition to this new service, Pacific Coastal will double frequency on its Nanaimo-Kelowna route and retime other flights to enable connections via YLW.
• In October, TIABC CEO, Walt Judas, announced his retirement, with the plan to step down from his position at the end of this year or early in 2026. 
• DoubleTree by Hilton West Kelowna hosted its official grand opening in September, after opening its doors to guests in June. 
• In July, Cheers! Okanagan Tours and Transportation announced it had been recognized in Tripadvisor’s® Travellers’ Choice® Awards for 2025, ranking No. 1 in Kelowna. 
• The groundbreaking ceremony for the new Sutton Place Hotel and parkade at Kelowna International Airport took place in July. 
• Comfort Suites Kelowna recently achieved a Green Key rating of 4 keys out of 5, moving up from its previous 3-Key rating.
• Julian Pellicano joined the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra (OSO) earlier this year as the sixth music director and conductor in the OSO’s 65-year history.
• Copper Brewing Co. is giving taproom culture a playful twist with its new LEGO® program, inviting guests to build, sip, and connect.

Anniversaries

• This year, the Kelowna Yacht Club celebrates 80 years as a gathering place on Okanagan Lake.  
• The Kelowna Farmers' & Crafters' Market celebrated its 30th anniversary this summer. 
• Taste of the Okanagan Specialty Foods is celebrating its 30th anniversary. Its small-batch, locally-made condiments are available at the Kelowna Visitor Centre and OK+CO online store. 
• The Kelowna Falcons baseball team, locally owned by the Nonis family, celebrates its 25th Anniversary this year. 
• DunnEnzies, now with three locations in Kelowna, celebrates its 15th anniversary in 2025. 
• BNA Brewing, whose launch marked the beginning of Nixon Hospitality Group, celebrated its 10th anniversary at the beginning of June 2025. 
• This year, The Hatch celebrates 10 years of winemaking along the Westside Wine Trail. The winery created the foundation of the Jason Parkes Customs Collective.
• Also celebrating 10 years in business is Bright Jenny Coffee, who recently opened its newest location on Lakeshore Road. 

Food & Drink

• Lakeside Dining at Hotel Eldorado was included on OpenTable x KAYAK's list of Top 50 Hotel Restaurants for 2025.
• The MRG Group has taken over operations of Revelry Food + Music Hub.
• Model Milk Coffee Co. has rebranded its Capri Centre coffee shop as "Roast'd," with Model Milk Coffee still acting as the parent company and supplying beans. 

Recently Opened:

• Café Quattro & Bistro at Four Points by Sheraton Kelowna Airport
• CeCe's Coffee crafted by Crave
• Chomp Cookie Co.
• Lakehouse Kitchens Cafe & Wine Bar
• Little Kitchen Academy
• MR MIKES Steakhouse Casual in the Ramada Hotel & Conference Centre
• The Luxe Spa
• Vranac Deli Café

Coming Soon

• Ellison Field Taphouse (at the Kelowna International Airport)

Join us in congratulating all the award winners and recognizing all those who are achieving great things and delivering exceptional experiences to visitors and locals alike!

Have an award win, achievement, or notable news to share? Email us all the details so we can include the information in our next roundup.