Each May, the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) and tourism associations across the country, including the Tourism Industry Association of BC (TIABC) and Destination BC (DBC), spearhead Tourism Week in Canada, which acts as "an annual invitation for all tourism partners to come together to champion and promote Canada’s destinations, tourism businesses, and employees – from coast to coast to coast." 

Tourism Week in Canada 2022 kicks off on Sunday, May 29 and runs until Sunday, June 4. This year's theme, Travel Now: For Work, Life, and Play!, celebrates the return of travel and tourism. This year, TIAC is challenging destinations, landmarks, attractions, venues and hotels to light up in green during the week as part of their #GreenMeansGo campaign to raise awareness of the tourism industry’s economic, social, and cultural importance in Canada.

To celebrate the week, our team will be hosting an Open House at the Kelowna Visitor Centre on Thursday, June 2—drop by any time between 8:30 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. and chat with our team to learn more about our local tourism industry and the work Tourism Kelowna does to support our region. 

Join us in showcasing the value of tourism in Kelowna and the Central Okanagan by using the key messages, fast facts, assets, and suggested social media captions we've assembled in our Industry Toolkit, which can be accessed via DropBox here. You can also share posts from our Value of Tourism webpage, which includes content pieces highlighting the perspectives of area businesses and residents. 

Additional information and resources for Tourism Week are available at the following links:

This year, our third annual Love for Kelowna Day, taking place on May 28, aligns with the kick-off for Tourism Week in Canada. Click here to learn more about Love for Kelowna Day and how you can join in the celebrations.

We encourage you to showcase your business’ contributions through your own channels during Tourism Week as well. Here are a few ideas for you to consider:

  • Highlight the work of a long-standing team member, welcome new faces, or give a shout-out to those who have made a difference over the past year.
  • Share a quote or testimonial from a customer or supplier.
  • Showcase uplifting stories or interesting tidbits about your business, to further connect with visitors and locals.
  • Share photos on social media of your staff and volunteers travelling throughout the province and participating in Tourism Week activities.
  • Take photos of other tourism activities in the region that you can share (attractions, tourism employees, visitor centre, welcome signage, etc.)

When sharing content on social media, be sure to include the following hashtags:

  • #TourismWeekCanada2022
  • #GreenMeansGo
  • #BCTourismCounts
  • #TourismKelowna

You can also follow TIAC, TIABC, and Destination BC on social media:

Share, like, and retweet content from these channels, and from Tourism Kelowna's channels, to help spread the word about Tourism Week and Love for Kelowna Day. We look forward to celebrating our industry's ongoing efforts as we look towards recovery.