As part of Tourism Week, May 24-31, we are sharing ten key indicators that highlight the importance of the tourism industry in Kelowna's overall economy. 

  1. Tourism in Kelowna is a $1.25 billion dollar industry and is one of the top 5 industries in the city.

  2. Tourism generates $142 million in tax revenues that fund local investment in infrastructure, services, and projects that ensure residents' quality of life.

  3. Employment in the tourism industry provides $240 million in earnings (wages).

  4. Travellers in Kelowna represent $337 million in visitor spending.  

  5. Kelowna International Airport (YLW) has been the 10th busiest airport in Canada for the past 2 years, servicing over 2 million passengers.

  6. Hotel room revenues in Kelowna amount to over $100 million a year. 

  7. Meetings and conferences generate over $25 million in economic impact for the city—a business traveller spends almost four times as much as a leisure traveller.  

  8. Kelowna hosts over 40 national and international sporting events a year. Skate Canada International generated almost $2.5 million dollars in economic impact for the city in 2019. 

  9. Kelowna is home to 44 wineries. There are 8,830 acres of vines in the Okanagan and the valley accounts for 84% of BC’s vineyard acreage.

  10. In Kelowna, you can golf at 19 different golf courses with over +110,000 yards of golf courses, and more than 2,000 hours of sunshine a year.