Kelowna was proud to host the 2026 BC Tourism Industry Conference, organized by the Tourism Industry Association of BC (TIABC), which took place at the Delta Hotels by Marriott Grand Okanagan Resort from March 4 to 6. More than 450 delegates from around the province and beyond attended the event, learning, networking, and celebrating under this year's theme, "The Transformative Power of Tourism."

An Indigenous blessing delivered by Spaxwawlm Indigenous Initiatives owner and operator, Krystal Withakay, opened the conference, with additional welcome remarks from TIABC, Tourism Kelowna, and other partners. Alongside inspiring opening and closing keynotes—presented by Todd Maffin, former CBC broadcaster and viral content creator, and Mark Brand, Chef and founder of UPWARD KITCHENS, respectively—the conference's plenary sessions provided attendees with insights on reconciliation through tourism, culinary taste of place excellence, and travel's transformative future.
 

^{Tourism Kelowna President & CEO, Lisanne Ballantyne, delivering welcome remarks on the first day of the conference.} 

Destination British Columbia (DBC) and the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport presented the first plenary session of the conference, A Bold Vision for Tourism in BC, which highlighted the Ministry's work to strengthen BC's economy through tourism, showcased DBC's new Corporate Strategy 2026-2028, offered updates on FIFA World Cup 2026 opportunities, and more. DBC explored its new three-year Global Marketing Strategy in a separate breakout session. 

Beyond the keynotes and plenaries, in-depth breakout sessions explored topics such as business events, culinary and agritourism, economic development, outdoor and regenerative tourism, the future of tourism, and more. 

Sara Correa Haslehurst, who oversees Sport & Major Events as part of Tourism Kelowna's Business Development team, provided insight into Kelowna's successes in hosting major events, such as 2025 Country Music Week, during a panel session titled "Unlocking Opportunity: Province-Wide Collaboration to Strengthen BC’s Event Tourism Advantage."
 

^{Pictured: Nick Grant, Assistant Deputy Minister, Tourism Sector Strategy Division, Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport (left); Sara Correa Haslehurst, Business Development, Sports & Events, Tourism Kelowna (right)}

The annual BC Tourism Industry Awards were presented on March 5, honouring BC's top tourism talent and organizations. For the second year in a row, Tourism Kelowna was one of three finalists in the Professional Excellence category. We congratulate our fellow category nominee, Tourism Prince George, who took home the Professional Excellence award, as well as all of this year's award winners and finalists. We were honoured to be nominated alongside so many deserving nominees. 

Along with welcoming delegates to the region, Tourism Kelowna was honoured to partner with Kelowna International Airport (YLW) to co-sponsor the Welcome Reception, held at BNA Brewing Co. & Eatery on the first evening of the conference. Nicole Martinez, Business Development and Sales Manager, represented Tourism Kelowna on the conference's organizing committee, playing an instrumental role before and during the event to ensure the conference rollout was successful. In addition to being available at the Kelowna Visitor Centre, our Community & Visitor Engagement team also provided mobile visitor services at the Delta Grand on all three conference days.

"We're proud of our team's collaborative efforts to ensure the 2026 BC Tourism Industry Conference was successful, both from a logistical perspective and from an experiential perspective of those visiting Kelowna," says Tourism Kelowna President & CEO, Lisanne Ballantyne. "Not only did our organization and destination shine, but so did all the other event sponsors, partners, and speakers, which is a true mark of success for any business event." 

We extend our sincere thanks to TIABC for selecting Kelowna as host of the 2026 BC Tourism Industry Conference and for the organization's ongoing leadership—including from its outgoing President & CEO, Walt Judas, who was honoured at this year's event for his many contributions to the industry—in strengthening and connecting BC’s visitor economy. We also want to thank our dedicated Members, who provided exclusive offers for conference delegates and joined us in welcoming everyone to the region. 
 

^{Blanketing Ceremony by Indigenous Tourism BC (ITBC) for Walt Judas. Pictured (left to right): Desire Baker, ITBC Board Director; Walt Judas, TIABC; Brenda Baptiste, ITBC Board Chair; Cheryl Champman, Orange Shirt Society Ambassador; Mike Retasket, TIABC Board Director.}

Events like this create valuable opportunities for collaboration, learning, and inspiration across the industry. We were proud to welcome delegates from across the province and look forward to continuing to work together to advance tourism in Kelowna, across the Okanagan Valley, and throughout British Columbia.