Tourism Kelowna is currently supporting the City of Kelowna in renewing its 5-year agreement with the Province of British Columbia for funding through the province’s Municipal and Regional District Tax (MRDT) program.
Accommodation Sector Briefing Recap
Thank you to the accommodation sector owners and general managers, community partners, and City of Kelowna Council members who joined us in late July for our small-group accommodation sector engagement session, where we shared updates on the MRDT renewal project, including what has been accomplished to date and what lies ahead.
Our focus now is on completing the remaining requirements and preparing for provincial approval. We appreciate the continued engagement and collaboration of our members and our partners at the City of Kelowna as we move this important work forward.
What is MRDT?
Introduced in the late 1980s, MRDT is a provincial tax of up to three per cent (3%) applied to the sale of short-term accommodation in participating destinations, such as Kelowna, to fund tourism marketing programs and projects within those destinations. The tax is intended to help grow BC revenues, visitation, and jobs, and to amplify BC's tourism marketing efforts.
Learn more about the provincial MRDT program here.
What is Tourism Kelowna's Role?
The City of Kelowna is the designated recipient of MRDT funding and serves as the applicant and agreement holder with the Province of British Columbia. Tourism Kelowna is the designated service provider, administering MRDT funding on behalf of the City to deliver tourism marketing initiatives that support the local tourism industry and visitor economy.
Earlier this year, the City of Kelowna and Tourism Kelowna approved a new 5-year Service Agreement that will see Tourism Kelowna as the designated service provider until 2032. While the new service agreement goes hand in hand with the MRDT renewal process, this is a separate agreement and the MRDT renewal still has to be approved by the Province.
All general MRDT revenues received by the City of Kelowna are allocated to Tourism Kelowna for destination marketing purposes. MRDT revenues collected through online accommodation platforms (OAPs) are currently directed toward the City of Kelowna’s affordable housing initiatives in accordance with provincial policy.
What is the status of Kelowna's MRDT application?
The MRDT renewal process is lengthy and involves developing an updated strategic plan for Tourism Kelowna, consulting with business and community partners, gathering letters of support from local accommodation providers, members, and partners, and providing the 2027 tactical plan and budget.
Work is well underway by Tourism Kelowna’s Board of Directors and Senior Leadership Team on finalizing the next 5-year strategic plan. Our primary focus right now is on collecting letters of support from eligible accommodators.
From August 24 to 26, Tourism Kelowna's Senior Leadership Team will meet with any accommodators who have not yet signed a letter of support, in an effort to collect all support letters by August 31.
The 2027 tactical plan and budget will be completed by the end of October, at which time our completed renewal package will be submitted to the City for review. By December 1, the City of Kelowna will submit the renewal package to the Province.
When will the new MRDT agreement be endorsed?
We anticipate a new MRDT agreement will be reviewed by the Province in early to mid-2027 in time to be endorsed before the current agreement ends on July 1, 2027. The new agreement would extend the term through July 1, 2032.
How can my property show support for the renewal application?
Owners or general managers from eligible accommodation providers are invited to complete and submit the Accommodation Sector in Support of Municipal and Regional District Tax Form by August 31, 2026 (see the instructions below to complete and submit the form).
Alternatively, you can email nicolle@tourismkelowna.com to request a form or reach out to Cheryl van den Bold at cheryl@tourismkelowna.com or (250) 861-1515 ext. 213 for assistance with the form.
Find more information about MRDT and the renewal application here.
Digital Support Form Instructions
- Download and Open the PDF: The support form will open as a PDF in your web browser. Download and save the file to your computer, then open it in Adobe Acrobat. Do not complete the version displayed in your web browser.
- Complete the Required Fields: Fill in all required fields by typing your responses directly into the PDF form.
- Add Your Digital Signature: Use an existing Digital ID or create a new one in Adobe Acrobat.
- If you already have a Digital ID: Select your Digital ID, click continue, and apply your signature to the form.
- If you don't have a Digital ID
- Select Configure Digital ID
- Choose Create a New Digital ID
- Click Continue and select a save location
- Enter your name, email address, and business information; click Save
- Save and Submit
- Once the form is complete:
- Save the signed PDF and click the Submit Form button at the bottom of the document
- An email containing the completed form will be automatically generated and addressed to Tourism Kelowna
- Please send the email to complete your submission
- Once the form is complete: