To further showcase the importance of our local tourism industry, we are connecting with our stakeholders, industry partners, and other local businesses and organizations to find out more about what tourism means to them. This month, we are connecting with some of our live event organizations.
Festivals Kelowna
Contributed by Executive Director, Renata Mills
Parks Alive! concert on the stage in Waterfront Park (image captured prior to COVID-19)
Q: How does tourism positively impact your business or organization?
A: Festivals Kelowna produces all-ages friendly, outdoor festivals and events. The majority of our events occur during the summer months, but this is also when most of Kelowna’s visitors enjoy our city. Even though our activities are primarily focused on attracting our residents, their family and friends join in the fun when they visit. On top of that, visitors to our downtown parks and public spaces often “discover” a Parks Alive! concert during a walk, enjoy the street performance of a Busker or even test their musical chops on one of our public pianos. As a result, tourists make up a good portion of our audience base and through their feedback help us fine-tune our offerings. We regularly hear from tourists that their visit was made more enjoyable thanks to one of our events—we love this feedback and their appreciation keeps our team motivated to continually improve and expand what we do.
Q: What value does tourism bring to our local communities?
A: Put simply, tourists bring their positive energy and enthusiasm to our community along with their dollars. People want to have fun while on vacation. They want to experience something new and different, to create a memory, and by spending their vacation dollars in Kelowna they are investing in local businesses, restaurants, and attractions. They are investing in our community and we are so grateful.
Q: What do you value most about our local tourism industry?
A: Besides the awesome people that work in our tourism agencies marketing us to the world, tourism allows us to brag a little about the amazing place we live. I value the beautiful images and stories about Kelowna that remind us to be thankful we get to live in such an incredible place.
Q: What is your favourite Kelowna hidden gem or local spot that you'd recommend others to visit?
A: Well, of course, I’d recommend a free Parks Alive! concert in one of our downtown parks [running through until August 28, 2021]. Grab dinner-to-go, have a picnic, and enjoy live performances by many of the Okanagan’s talented musicians and world-class performing artists on a fine summer evening! Find the concert schedule at parksalive.com.
Impact Events + Brand Management
Contributed by Owner, Christina Ferreira
2019 Kelowna Wine Country Half Marathon, produced by Impact Events (Photo Credit: ARK Media)
Q: How does tourism positively impact your business or organization?
A: My business and events portfolio are destination events and attract people from throughout North America. Tourism allows me to be able to scale up and increase the capacity for these events.
Q: What value does tourism bring to our local communities?
A: Revenue and increased traffic to the region—it allows growth and provides support, so entrepreneurs can be risk-takers. Tourism helps to inflate business, which allows small businesses to have elevated sales so they can survive in the ‘off-season.’
Q: What do you value most about our local tourism industry?
A: The support from locals for the small businesses in our region, either through attending events, sponsoring or helping to spread the word to a larger audience through their channels, which helps build awareness of the events I am producing.
Q: What is your favourite Kelowna hidden gem or local spot that you'd recommend others to visit?
A: All the small restaurants making amazing dishes in welcoming environments. These restaurants are also some of the biggest small business supporters, so it’s great to give/support those who are also giving back.
Rebellious Unicorns
Contributed by Founder & Executive Producer, Dustyn Baulkham
Peak Pride at Big White Ski Resort (2017)
Q: How does tourism positively impact your business or organization?
A: Tourism is key to many of our events. We have attracted people from the Pacific Northwest of the USA all the way to eastern Canada for our event, Peak Pride, which had expanded to multiple ski resorts just before the pandemic. Peak Pride relies heavily on the travel of people to attend the events and shows involved.
Q: What value does tourism bring to our local communities?
A: For our region, tourism is a huge player in the economy and everything that happens. An article in USA Today talks about LGBT2Q+ Tourism and how it will be the first to rebound after the pandemic. Groups like ours and Kelowna Pride are at the forefront of this industry as pre-COVID we were the primary providers of LGBT2Q+ focused experiences, education, and events. Ensuring our community is inclusive and welcoming to all is key for tourism.
Q: How has your business or organization adapted or evolved through COVID-19?
A: Being an events-focused company means that 99.9% of our income was gone overnight and with VERY little support from various levels of government, it has felt like we have been mostly forgotten about. In the last year, we have created Unicorns.LIVE, a platform dedicated to live entertainment. Everything on our platform is streamed live, recorded, and then made available after the fact. Throughout this last year, we have worked with the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra, Ballet Kelowna, Kelowna Pride, countless local musicians, and a variety of drag performers, burlesque dancers, and podcasters. As events begin to open we are working with a variety of venues and creators on monetizing their digital content.
Q: What do you value most about our local tourism industry?
A: That the community works together. The area is small enough that you can pick up the phone and call any business/organization and most often you will get a locally-owned business that is passionate about the Okanagan.
Q: What other local business/organization would you recognize for their collaborative efforts, resiliency, and/or innovation since COVID-19 hit?
A: Kelowna Pride - one of the handful of pride organizations in Canada and the world that was able to safely host hybrid events in 2020, with both in-person and streamed content. They are constantly approached for anything LGBT2Q+ related within the Okanagan and often provide assistance via education and support.
Q: What is your favourite Kelowna hidden gem or local spot that you'd recommend others to visit?
A: I would suggest just exploring - there are tons of hidden beaches and trails where you can get away from the hustle and bustle of the main popular beaches.
Rotary Centre for the Arts (RCA)
Contributed by Executive Director, Colleen Fitzpatrick
An event being hosted at the Rotary Centre for the Arts (image captured prior to COVID-19)
Q: How does tourism positively impact your business or organization?
A: We love sharing arts and cultural experiences with everyone that visits Kelowna, whether it’s to take in live music performances at the Mary Irwin Theatre, indulging in an art class, learning about local art in our galleries, or joining us for our free community nights such as our popular Jazz Jam or School of Blues nights. As a local non-profit, we are grateful for the support tourism brings to our organization and for helping to grow cultural tourism in the Okanagan.
Q: How has your business or organization adapted or evolved through COVID-19?
A: The RCA is a performing and visual art centre with a 325-person theatre that presents live music. During COVID, we were able to bring live music experiences to Kelowna and beyond with virtual performances from many Canadian artists, including Tom Jackson’s Huron Carole, singer-songwriter, Andrew Allen, jazz artists, Craig Thomson and Lindsay May, East Coast musicians, Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy, and Indigenous singer/songwriter, Kym Gouchie. We offered a live-streamed experience from the roof of the RCA as the sun set over Kelowna with Okanagan musicians, Kentucky Eileen, which was a lot of fun. July marked our return to in-person, in-theatre live music performances starting with the local folk-rock band, Shred Kelly, who rocked the house. The energy in the room with a return to live music was off the charts. Our season line-up for this fall will be announced later this month and we invite all those visiting Kelowna to join us for live music in a theatre setting.
Q: What other local business/organization would you recognize for their collaborative efforts, resiliency, and/or innovation since COVID-19 hit?
A: Our neighbours and partners in Kelowna’s Cultural District have been very innovative and creative, coming together and collaborating on various activities during the pandemic to continue to deliver arts and cultural experiences. Developed in what was once the centre of the Okanagan's historical fruit packing industry, the Cultural District is the heart of arts and culture in Kelowna and worth a visit when travelling to our region—the area includes not only the RCA but also the Okanagan Heritage Museum, Okanagan Military Museum, Okanagan Wine & Orchard Museum, and the Kelowna Art Gallery. Follow a walking tour of the District to immerse yourself in the art, culture, and heritage of the area, or participate in one of the City of Kelowna’s guided walking tours of the Cultural District.
Q: What is your favourite Kelowna hidden gem or local spot that you'd recommend others to visit?
A: The art galleries at the RCA are a local gem, open daily to the community and tourists. When looking for a free indoor activity, visit the RCA's four galleries, conveniently located in the heart of Kelowna’s Cultural District and often showcasing local artists' work. Until the end of August, the Indigenous Youth and Young Adults Art Exhibition, Shi kéé, curated by UBCO’s Maura Tamez, is showing in the RCA’s Alex Fong Galleria. This exhibition accompanies Being Out On the Land: Feeds, Streams, and Captures, which is being showcased in the mobile iArt Gallery as part of Meet Me on Bernard. Both exhibitions are free and open to the public.
Want to take part in our Value of Tourism series? Email me at your convenience to discuss further.
The Value of Tourism
Prior to the pandemic, tourism in Kelowna and the Central Okanagan was a $2.1 billion dollar industry. As a vital economic driver in the region, there is no doubt of the value that tourism brings, generating close to 13,000 jobs, $443 million in visitor spending, and $204 million in tax revenues for local, provincial, and federal programs and infrastructure. The value of tourism, however, is not only economic, as the industry contributes positively to the quality of life of our region’s residents, who can enjoy world-class amenities, events, and attractions year-round, alongside visitors.
