As a leading destination management organization, our mission is to collaborate with tourism businesses in the Central Okanagan to create a tourism economy that is sustainable and welcoming for visitors and residents. Four strategic pillars—seasonality, destination management, internal excellence, and external engagement—guide our organization's work as we support and market the region. Below, you'll find an overview of our team's work during the third quarter of the year, as it aligns with the four pillars. 


Seasonality: Establishing Kelowna and the Central Okanagan as a Four-Season Travel Destination

2024 Apple Triathlon Swim Start
2024 Apple Triathlon swim start. Image credit: Ken Hagen

  • Added marketing tactics to help boost summer visitation by targeting the lower stages of the marketing funnel.
  • Launched our fall 2024 paid advertising campaign with tactics such as pre-roll video, connected TV advertisements, social media ads, native content ads, and digital display ads. 
  • Supported 4 travel media familiarization tours, with 10 attendees total travelling to Kelowna to experience the best the region has to offer. 
  • Generated 141 leads and over $42 million dollars in potential economic impact, and identified over 720 new client contacts through business development activities so far this year. 
  • Exhibited alongside 12 BC destinations in the Experience BC aisle at Canadian Meetings + Events Expo and served as an Executive Sponsor for a signature networking event aligned with the expo.
  • Showcased Kelowna as a business events' destination of choice through 9 familiarization tours, including one co-hosted with Delta Hotels by Marriott Grand Okanagan Resort, Kelowna Concierge, and Mission Hill Family Estate. 
  • Operated mobile visitor services for the District of Lake Country, providing in-person service to over 1,700 people, a 32% increase over 2023.
  • Introduced the #exploreKelowna Arts & Culture pass, in alignment with several of the strategies outlined in the City of Kelowna's 2020-2025 Cultural Plan.
  • Showcased participating Wine Program partners through a variety of initiatives, including sponsored articles with Vancouver is Awesome, North Shore News, and Edible Vancouver & Wine Country published throughout the fall, as well as display ads, social posts, and newsletter mentions. 


Destination Management: Fostering Sustainable Growth of the Destination

Stewardship Symposium crowd
2024 Stewardship Symposium

  • Supported the Kelowna Rockets in the team's bid to host the Memorial Cup in late May 2026.
  • Hosted our inaugural Stewardship Symposium for industry and community members, which included guest speakers from Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association and Indigenous Tourism BC.
    • A recovery toolkit developed as part of Tourism Kelowna's work with UBC Okanagan graduate student, Gabrielle Heschuck, was also unveiled at the symposium.


Internal Excellence: Ensuring Organizational Excellence 

Elks Stadium Aerial, Summer 2023
Elks Stadium, July 2023. Image credit: Ken Hagen

  • Hosted our Board of Directors annual strategic planning retreat, facilitated by Jan Enns Communications with a focus on amplifying strategic goals and turning inspiration into action.


External Engagement: Engaging Partners and External Stakeholders to Grow the Visitor Economy

2023, July, Summer,
Quails' Gate Winery, July 2023. Image credit: Ken Hagen

    Supported Wine Growers British Columbia's Sip, Smile, and Stay Awhile campaign to provide ads promoting travel to the Okanagan.
  • Banded together with fellow Okanagan communities as part of the TOTA's Travel Now on Us to the Thompson Okanagan campaign, supporting tourism businesses across the region through marketing tactics and a consumer contest.
  • Attended Country Music Week 2024 in Edmonton as part of a Kelowna delegation in preparation for hosting the event in September 2025. 
  • Partnered with the District of Lake Country and Visit Westside—through Destination BC's Co-op Marketing Program—to launch a campaign in the Lower Mainland to bolster late summer travel and boost local tourism businesses.
    • The campaign landing page garnered over 20,000 pageviews, while social ads generated a reach of 375,000 and nearly 13,000 engagements. 


To learn more about our team's strategic priorities and key initiatives, contact: