Seasonality

Establish the Okanagan Valley as a four-season travel destination

^{Mobile visitor services set up at the 2026 BC Tourism Industry Conference in March 2026. Image credit: Angelina Scott}

• Our destination advertising campaign for winter ran from November 2025 to February 2026, positioning Kelowna as a “Winterfull” destination, offering an array of activities in the mountains and down in the Valley.
• We proudly welcomed the 2026 BC Tourism Industry Conference, organized by the Tourism Industry Association of BC (TIABC), to Kelowna in early March, with approximately 450 delegates in attendance.
• Our Marketing & Communications and Business Development teams collaborated with partners from our Meetings Spots program to create an insert for Ignite Magazine highlighting Kelowna's offerings for hosting business events and showcasing why the region is a destination of choice. 
• Our team at the Kelowna Visitor Centre welcomed more than 28K guests in the first quarter, representing a 2% increase over 2025. Growth was consistent in January and February; however, March 2026 was relatively flat (down slightly YOY) since the 2025 Montana's Brier elevated visitation in February/March 2025.
• Throughout the quarter, our Business Development team attended several events, including the 2026 MPI Cascadia Educational Conference, Ottawa Meet Week, and Incentive Canada, to connect with business event planners and showcase Kelowna's offerings. 
• ur region's growing reputation as a destination of choice for sport events continued to flourish during the first quarter of the year, as our team celebrated several wins and prepared for Kelowna's Year of Sport.
  • During the first quarter, announcements were made about the Special Olympics Canada Winter Games 2028, Kelowna HOOPFEST, and 2026 Skate Canada International, all three of which were secured in part thanks to Tourism Kelowna's Major Event Strategy and our ongoing partnership with the City of Kelowna. 
  • The 2025 Montana's Brier was one of three finalists in the Sport Tourism Canada (STC) Canadian Sport Event of the Year: Group A category for STC's 2026 PRESTIGE Awards, with the nomination package highlighting the strength of the partnership between Curling Canada, Tourism Kelowna, the City of Kelowna, and many community groups to secure and successfully host the event.

Destination Management

Foster the sustainable growth of the destination

^{Tourism Kelowna team members volunteering at Helen's Acres, spring 2026.} 

• We continued our work as part of the central coordination group, leading efforts related to Kelowna's UNESCO City of Gastronomy, with Chris Shauf serving as the organization's lead contact in the group. 
• Our Community & Visitor Engagement team remained actively engaged across Kelowna, supporting six community events—some spanning multiple days—with our on-site mobile services. 
• Our Business Development team continues to participate in a variety of advisory roles: Nicole Martinez has taken on a leadership role with the new SITE Pacific NW Chapter, while Vanessa Osborne is on a leading committee with PCMA. 
• We've continued to launch toolkits for businesses to take advantage of the opportunities surrounding major events; during Q1, the Business Playbook for the Memorial Cup was launched, with the Touchdown Kelowna toolkit forthcoming in early June. 
• We've updated our website and bid packages related to sustainability, including information on how groups can incorporate corporate social responsibility initiatives into their event agendas.
  • Our Business Development team is also including a stewardship/sustainability component into many of its familiarization tours with prospective or confirmed clients, specifically using the volunteer experience at Helen's Acres to tie in the land component of the UNESCO designation. 

Organizational Excellence + Membership Care

Ensure a high-performing organization with engaged industry supporters

^{Tourism Kelowna's Jacqui Dowling (right) at the 2026 PACE Forum.}

• For the second year in a row, Tourism Kelowna was named one of three finalists for the Professional Excellence DMO or Sector Association Award—which recognizes a community DMO or Sector Association that demonstrates leadership, innovation, accountability, and collaboration with the tourism industry in BC—at the 2026 BC Tourism Industry Awards, alongside Tourism Prince George and Tourism Terrace. 
• Carla Bechard, who oversees marketing programs and partnerships for Tourism Kelowna, was named one of three finalists in the Master Marketer category at the 2026 BC Wine Industry Recognition Awards. 
• Our Business Development and Community & Visitor Engagement teams have been working to roll out a new pop-up shop retail experience for business events and to create accompanying collateral to help outline the offerings to clients, with the goal of providing attendees with a sense of place and also generating additional self-earned revenue for our organization. 
• We've achieved strong participation and increased signups for our 2026 Marketing Programs, and we're also selling out ad space at the Kelowna Visitor Centre. 
• Jacqui Dowling represented Tourism Kelowna, alongside 200 DMO professionals from across the US and Canada, at the 2026 Partnership & Community Engagement (PACE) Forum, which focused on building stronger destinations through memberships, partnerships, and engagement. 
• Working with go2HR, we've been updating our employee handbook and aligning all our HR processes accordingly. 

Stakeholder + Industry Development

Collaborate with stakeholders to grow the visitor economy

^{View of downtown Kelowna from southeast Kelowna. Image credit: Jarusha Brown Photography} 

• At the end of March, we hosted a webinar to present our 2026 Destination Marketing Plan to our members; those who were unable to attend the live session can access a recording through our Partner Portal. Additional information will be shared this summer about Tourism Kelowna's updated visitor segment profiles. 
• We've established a tentative schedule for member and community partner Plug-in Sessions for 2026, with additional details about specific sessions shared via e-invites as each session launches. 
• We continue to participate in quarterly meetings as part of our region's Destination Reputation Management committee, and work with OKGo campaign partners to strengthen destination reputation and highlight how tourism can support broader economic shifts. 
• Our team members regularly attend KHMA meetings to learn about local hoteliers' priorities and to keep the group informed about our team's work. 
• We're working with our Meetings Spots program partners to give them opportunities to present themselves to our Business Development team and share additional information about their positioning that our team can use when promoting these businesses.

Looking ahead

• ​Our spring campaign is currently in market, with a summer campaign set to capitalize on opportunities related to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with targeted ad placements in the Lower Mainland. 
• We are getting set to welcome several major events as part of Kelowna's Year of Sport, including the 2026 Memorial Cup, now underway; Kelowna HOOPFEST; Touchdown Kelowna; BC Summer Games; and 2026 Skate Canada International. 
• Our Business Development team continues to host client events in target markets across the country. 
• We've begun classroom-style training for new Community & Visitor Engagement team members joining us for the summer season. Retention at the Kelowna Visitor Centre has been strong, with consistent staff throughout the year, allowing locals and returning visitors to see familiar faces when they engage with the team. 
• Our visitor servicing kiosk at Kelowna International Airport is expected to re-open soon, after being closed as part of the terminal building expansion project. 
• Orientations with new Board members will continue to roll out in the second quarter, aligned with the arrival of our new President & CEO.