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
2024 National Wine Awards of Canada
The 2024 WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada were announced in late July, with Kelowna's SpearHead Winery taking home top honours as Best Performing Small Winery of the Year and Winery of the Year.
Joining SpearHead on the list of Top 25 Wineries in Canada are Quails' Gate Estate Winery, which secured the number six spot, and CedarCreek Estate Winery, which came in at number 17.
2024 Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards
Tourism Kelowna received a Silver Dolphin award at this year’s Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards in the ‘Tourism Films Destinations – Cities’ category. The winning video, “Explore More of Kelowna in All Seasons,” focuses on people experiencing the city year-round and showcases a wide range of tourism experiences in and around Kelowna, which sits on the unceded ancestral territory of the Okanagan / syilx people, who are the original stewards of the land.
2024 Business Excellence Awards
Tourism Kelowna Board Chair, Kelly Watt, and President & CEO, Lisanne Ballantyne, were on hand at the 2024 Kelowna Chamber Business Excellence Awards awards to hand out the Excellence in Tourism Award, sponsored by Tourism Kelowna, which this year was awarded to Kelowna Concierge.
Other Members and tourism-related businesses who took home awards at the ceremony include:
- Sncəwips Heritage Museum, Excellence in Arts and Entertainment award.
- KF Aerospace, Large Business of the Year award.
Okanagan Spirits Craft Distillery Mixoff
The 2024 Okanagan Spirits Craft Distillery Mixoff, held at the Laurel Packinghouse on November 7, brought together some of the Okanagan’s finest bartenders to craft inventive cocktails featuring at least two ingredients from Okanagan Spirits. Awards were handed out in three categories:
- Judge's Choice Cocktail: Awarded to Gillian Buss from Maestro's Mediterranean for her cocktail, The Au-Pear.
- People's Choice Drink: Awarded to Gerry Jobe from Simps Modern Beverage, in collaboration with Craft 42 Roasters and Karat Chocolate, for his cocktail, Thanks a Latteh.
- People's Choice Best Bite Food: Awarded to Chef Josh Starrett from Derrick's Steakhouse for his flavourful bite, Purple of the Deep.
2024 BC Restaurant Hall of Fame Inductees
A few members of Kelowna's restaurant sector were inducted into the BC Restaurant Hall of Fame at the 20th Annual Induction Ceremony, held in Vancouver on October 21, 2024:
- Active Restauranteur: Mark Filatow, Waterfront Wines
- Leading Employee/Manager, Back of House: Jeremy Luypen, Independent Consultant
- Supplier: Tony Steward, Quails' Gate Estate Winery
- Local Champion: Dan Carkner, Modest Butcher
Additional Wins
- Nanaimo Airport (YCD) and Kelowna International Airport (YLW) were recently awarded the Best in Airport Partnerships Award by Airports Council International - North America at the 2024 Excellence in Airport Marketing, Communications, and Customer Experience Awards.
- The collaborative OKGo marketing campaign has been honoured with an Economic Developers Association of Canada (EDAC) 2024 Marketing Award in the Community Collaboration category.
- Two Kelowna breweries, Grey Fox Brewing and Jackknife Brewing, took home awards at the 2024 Canada Beer Cup, which were handed out at a Gala Awards night on October 18 in New Westminster, BC.
- Binny Boperai-Gill, Co-founder and President of Farming Karma Fruit Company was named Woman Entrepreneur of the Year at the 17th Annual Rise Awards, presented by BC Food & Beverage on November 29, 2024. This adds to the company's previous wins, which include winning the Circularity Award in 2023 and taking home Silver in the Product of the Year category in the 2022 Awards.
- In August, the Four Points by Sheraton Kelowna Airport announced that Ahmad Taher Saleh, recently appointed General Manager of the Four Points and Hampton Inn & Suites Kelowna, had been awarded Marriott’s prestigious Operations Manager of the Year for 2023.
- Gulfstream Lounge & Grill's Assistant Food and Beverage Manager and Mixologist, Wyatt Cooper-Brown, was named Caesar Champion of British Columbia at the Motts Clamato BC Caesar Championship in July 2024.
- Okanagan College won Judges' Choice Best Overall at the 13th Annual BDO LLP Thompson Okanagan Commercial Building Awards for its Kelowna student residences. Revelry Food + Music Hub took the Hospitality & Tourism award, with the Four Points by Sheraton expansion recognized as runner-up in the same category.
Notable News
Community
- Kelowna was chosen to host the 106th edition of the Memorial Cup in the spring of 2026.
- Pacific Coastal Airlines launched its inaugural route between Kelowna International Airport (YLW) and Prince George Airport Authority. Click here for additional YLW news from summer 2024.
Industry
- Coast Capri Hotel is the first hotel in Kelowna to become Biosphere Certified, having demonstrated its sustainability efforts in more than 100 ways.
- Kelowna's Metro Centre—comprised of Metro Hub event space and Metro Community outreach centre—is featured in the Sociocultural Stories section of Destination Canada's Sustainability Storybook, which shares initiatives available for business events across Canada.
- Big White Ski Resort has been honoured as one of the top ski resorts in North America by the Condé Nast Traveller UK Readers' Choice Awards, which reflects the votes of over 125,000 Condé Nast Traveller readers in the UK.
- Several Kelowna area businesses, including Big White Ski Resort and Myra Canyon Bicycle Rental and Tours, were recognized in Tripadvisor’s® Travelers’ Choice® Awards for 2024, placing them among the top 10% of listings around the world on the travel platform.
- Lakeside Eco-Sports and A Taste of Kelowna Food Tours announced they had been recognized as Viator Experience Award winners for Top Beverage Experience and Top Food Experience in Canada.
- Jason Guyitt, celebrated for his operational leadership at Four Points by Sheraton and Hampton Inn & Suites Kelowna Airport, will now serve as General Manager of Eldorado Resort.
Anniversaries
-
This year, Prospera Place is celebrating 25 years of bringing entertainment to Kelowna and the Okanagan, having hosted its first concert (Moist) on August 28, 1999.
Food & Drink
-
Several Kelowna and area establishments made it on to OpenTable's Top 100 Restaurants for Outdoor Dining in Canada for 2024:
Recently Opened:
- Ailm Estate Winery
- Baked
- Carnist Butchers
- Fancy's Cold Cuts & Cocktails
- Folktale Cider
- hello darlin'
- Hidden Vines
- Kinton Ramen
- Sugar Free Please Cafe
- Table Nineteen Kelowna
- The Mission Creamery
Coming Soon:
- New offerings at Kelowna International Airport: Bright Jenny Coffee kiosk and Sandrine French Pastry & Chocolate vending machine.
- Wildling
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.
