Now that the hustle and bustle of summer is over and the fall season is underway, it's a great time to review Tourism Kelowna's Base Program benefits to make sure you are making the most of the program.

Before highlighting the benefits of the Base Program, we'll outline the available program options.

Tourism Kelowna is in the process of moving from a stakeholder to a membership model. As such, businesses are now able to join Tourism Kelowna as either members or advertisers. There are two main differences between the options:

  1. Members will have full voting rights at Tourism Kelowna and can run/vote for the board of directors, whereas advertisers cannot.
  2. Businesses will not be required to purchase the Base Program to be eligible for other Tourism Kelowna advertising/marketing programs. 

The Base Program includes a number of benefits such as: 

Here are some tips to make sure you are making the most of the Base Program and leveraging Tourism Kelowna's reach for the benefit of your business or organization. 


Update Your Online Listing

Tourism Kelowna's website, which has over 2 million pageviews per year, is a primary resource for visitors when planning their trips to Kelowna. Make sure your listing offers the best representation of your business, with up-to-date images, descriptions, and information. Your online listing includes up to 10 images, a description of up to 150 words, links to your social media channels, contact information, and a locator on a map. You can update your listing directly through the Tourism Kelowna Extranet


Rack Your Brochures at the Kelowna Visitor Centre

Each year, the Kelowna Visitor Centre welcomes hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world who then browse the brochure racks looking for fun and interesting things to do in Kelowna. Make sure they can find your business by supplying our team with up-to-date rack cards. 


Engage with Tourism Kelowna on Social Media

Tourism Kelowna's social media channels now boast close to 200k followers. Increase awareness and grow your fanbase by connecting yourself with the Tourism Kelowna community by using our hashtag #exploreKelowna and tagging us in your posts and stories. This connects you with others in the industry and allows Tourism Kelowna and potential customers to easily access information on your business and what you're offering.


Upload Your Events to the Website 

The Events Calendar is one of the most visited pages on Tourism Kelowna's website. If your business or organization regularly hosts events or is planning a special event, make sure you submit it to the Events Calendar, or through your Extranet Login, for maximum awareness. This also keeps the Tourism Kelowna team informed so we can easily help share the information when opportunities permit. Detailed information on the submission process is available through our Industry News Centre.


Access Kelowna Images and Video 

As a Base Program participant, you can access Tourism Kelowna's extensive digital asset library of photos and videos to help you advertise and market your product or services. If you haven't already, you can request access to the image bank here.


Attend Stakeholder Plug-In Sessions

Tourism Kelowna regularly hosts Stakeholder Plug-In Sessions on different topics of interest to the industry. In the past, we have had sessions on short-term rentals, sustainable tourism, marketing and communication, tourism research, and the economic impact of tourism, among others. These sessions are a great opportunity to not only gain industry insights, but also a great way to network and meet representatives from other tourism-related businesses. 


These are just a handful of ways to make the most of your Base Program and engage with the Tourism Kelowna team. If you would like to carry on this conversation and learn about how your business can continue to leverage the program, or if you would like to join Tourism Kelowna, please reach out to me directly at sara@tourismkelowna.com.