In the final quarter of the year, our team continued to advance its strategic priorities by reinforcing Kelowna’s positioning as a values-led, four-season destination while laying the groundwork for long-term resilience and growth.

Efforts focused on elevating the destination's reputation and differentiation, most notably through global recognition tied to Kelowna’s designation as Canada's first and only UNESCO City of Gastronomy. We continued to roll out our refreshed brand platform and aligned marketing investment to support the winter season. 

At the same time, we deepened industry collaboration, invested in future-focused planning for marketing and business events, and enhanced visitor and community engagement. Collectively, Q4 marked a period of consolidation and momentum, translating strategic intent into tangible progress across seasonality, stewardship, and organizational excellence.

Showcasing Kelowna through Marketing and Communications Initiatives

Fall 2025 content creator tour

• We were proud to stand alongside our partners at the City of Kelowna as its team announced Kelowna's designation as Canada's first and only UNESCO City of Gastronomy.
• The roll-out of Tourism Kelowna's refreshed brand continued through the quarter. Read the final instalment of our blog series to learn more about the brand redevelopment process and rollout.
• We reallocated advertising dollars from our fall campaign and allocated additional funds to extend some tactics into winter, with refreshed ad creative aligned with our brand renewal.
• In the fourth quarter, we also spent significant time finalizing our 2026 Marketing & Advertising Plan, including identifying target markets, determining the market split for paid advertising, finalizing tactics, and more.
• Our Travel Media Program was highly active through late summer and into fall, as our team coordinated and supported eight hosted media and content creator tours between August and mid-October. One of the familiarization tours resulted in Kelowna's inclusion in Eater's Where to Eat in 2026 guide. 
• We also hosted a wellness- and culture-focused content creator tour in October, with support from Destination BC and numerous local partners, that combined indulgence and inspiration. The trip, Glowing & Flowing: Fall in Kelowna, was designed to balance quintessential Okanagan experiences with moments of calm, connection, and flavour, while generating content that would showcase Kelowna to new audiences. 

Looking Ahead:

• During the first quarter of 2026, our team's focus will include:
  • Rolling out the 2026 spring paid advertising campaign.
  • Ongoing updates to Tourism Kelowna's website to align and enhance the content, with respect to the refreshed brand.
  • Developing a new destination video focused on attracting meetings and conferences. 
  • Finalizing and launching the 2026 #exploreKelowna Creator Program.
  • Completing the planning for our 2026 media familiarization tours. 
  • Creating a welcome kit for Spots Program participants and finalizing advertising plans for the various programs. 
  • Developing a media training education program for Tourism Kelowna Members. 
  • Transitioning our industry data dashboard to Rove, a leading travel and tourism data and analytics platform.
  • Creating and distributing Tourism Kelowna's 2025 Report to the Community.

Executing Partner Programs and Bolstering Industry Development

• Our team continues to strengthen industry development through its suite of collaborative partner programs, executed through joint efforts from our marketing and business development teams, that many members and community stakeholders may not see day to day, yet are essential to sector growth.
  • In November, our team hosted a Member Appreciation event, which included an update from Tourism Kelowna's Directors.
  • Near the end of the fourth quarter of 2025, our 2026 collaborative marketing programs, now known as the Spots Programs, were launched. 

Attracting Meetings, Conferences, and Events

^{Montreal client event}

• Our Business Development team distributed 53 leads and 17 service requests in the fourth quarter for business events and major sports events, generating more than $15M in potential estimated economic impact. 
• In early October, our team members represented Tourism Kelowna at Destination Canada's booth at IMEX America. Over three exhibition days, we met with more than 30 clients, including incentive planners, association executives, and corporate event organizers, in a series of B2B meetings.
• Later in the month, Kelowna hosted the inaugural BC Accelerator Program. Our Business Development team prepared a comprehensive, competitive bid package, which secured Kelowna the event and further solidified the city’s reputation as a vibrant hub for meetings, conferences, and travel trade events in British Columbia.
• Our final client event of the year, hosted in partnership with Venue Series, took place during the fourth quarter. 
• We also supported the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) AGM & Summit. As the presenting sponsor of the TOTA Summit Welcome Reception, Tourism Kelowna collaborated with several community partners to secure sponsorship and execute the event. 
• Members of our team attended SPOHOX™ Live 2025 in Regina, connecting with event organizers and sport tourism professionals to share why Kelowna is a perfect fit for hosting sport events of every scale. Tourism Kelowna proudly sponsored the Xtra Innings™ Social, welcoming more than 70 guests for an evening of great company, local flavour, and a little friendly competition. 
• In mid-November, Vanessa Osborne represented Tourism Kelowna alongside nearly 400 meeting and event professionals at the 2025 Canadian Innovation Conference (CIC) in Mississauga, hosted by PCMA Canada East. Vanessa also served on the event's Community Engagement & Inclusion Committee, helping drive the CIC25 Fundraising Challenge. 
• We launched our 2026 meetings and conferences program, now known as "Meeting Spots," at our partner meeting in late November. 

Looking Ahead:

• This year, Tourism Kelowna is investing its most significant spend to date in business event-specific advertising.  
• During the first quarter, we will be attending several events, including SITE Canada Exchange, MPI Cascadia Educational Conference, and Ottawa Meet Week. 
• Kelowna will host the BC Tourism Industry Conference from March 4–6, 2026. Nicole Martinez is representing Tourism Kelowna on the event's organizing committee. 

Supporting the Community and Engaging Visitors

• During the final quarter of the year, traffic at the Kelowna Visitor Centre was up 16% YOY, thanks to continued momentum from seasonality efforts focused on fall/winter. 
• Our mobile visitor services team was set up at key community events, including Nuit Blanche, Tree of Hope Festival, Downtown Winter Street Market & Light Up, Santa’s Workshop (Lake Country), Okanagan College Student Appreciation & Holiday Event, and Curling Olympic Qualifiers. 
• We completed an inventory review of local winter-focused products/activities to align with seasonal visitor needs, support immersive winter experiences, and equip staff/volunteers with up-to-date product knowledge, all of which contribute to stronger economic impact during off-peak months.
• Our seasonal retail offerings were expanded to include curated winter-specific products, such as toques, holiday gifts, winter artwork, and festive treats. These items supported holiday shopping, enhanced visitor experience, and contributed to Q4 revenue performance while reinforcing Kelowna’s winter appeal.
• Through seasonal theming and curated winter displays, we enhanced the sense of place at the Kelowna Visitor Centre, creating a warm, welcoming environment for locals and visitors alike.
• We completed and submitted the Carbon Footprint Assessment for Tourism Kelowna; results are expected in early 2026. 

Looking Ahead:

• Planning is underway to support high-impact events, including the Memorial Cup, Kelowna HOOPFEST, Touchdown Kelowna, and the BC Summer Games, where our team will deliver visitor services to maximize economic impact. 
• Our spring/summer retail assortment will be finalized, with a focus on improving profitability by optimizing product strategy and margin mix to increase self-earned revenue.
• We will conduct familiarization tours for our team members and participate in several industry engagement and workforce development events, including career fairs at UBC Okanagan and Okanagan College. 
• Our mobile visitor services team is confirmed to attend several events in the first quarter, including the BC Tourism Industry Conference. We will also be supporting the Dreamliner Express Love Train in February, which will make a scheduled stop at the Kelowna Visitor Centre as part of its journey. 
• Our kiosk at Kelowna International Airport will reopen early in the year, and we will conduct a signage audit at the Kelowna Visitor Centre to identify opportunities to improve education and storytelling.