As part of Tourism Week 2022, which runs from May 29 – June 4, we are sharing 10 key indicators that highlight the importance of the tourism industry in the Central Okanagan's overall economy.
- Tourism in Kelowna and area is a $2.1 billion dollar industry and is one of the top five industries in the region.*
- Tourism generates $204 million in tax revenues, a portion of which funds local investment in infrastructure, services, and projects that contribute positively to the quality of life of area residents.*
- Employment in the tourism industry provides $573 million in earnings (wages).*
- Travellers in Kelowna represent $443 million in visitor spending.*
- Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Kelowna International Airport (YLW) was serving more than 2 million passengers a year and was ranked as the tenth busiest airport in Canada for 2018 and 2019.
- Hotel room revenues in Kelowna amounted to over $125 million in 2019.
- In 2019, meetings and conferences generated over $25 million in economic impact for the region—a business traveller spends almost four times as much as a leisure traveller.
- In an average year, Kelowna hosts over 40 national and international sporting events. In 2019, Skate Canada International generated almost $2.5 million dollars in economic impact for the city.
- Kelowna and the Central Okanagan are home to more than 40 wineries. There are 8,830 acres of vines in the Okanagan and the valley accounts for 84% of BC’s vineyard acreage.
- In and around 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.
Access our Tourism Week stakeholder toolkit for assets to share some of these fast facts through your online channels. For more information on the tourism industry, visit our Tourism Kelowna Research Page.
*Source: 2018 Economic Impact of Tourism in the Greater Kelowna Area
