Tourism Kelowna enacts a number of marketing tactics in an effort to drive travellers to Kelowna and encourage visitor spending and participation in many destination activities and attractions. Our earned-media strategy works to showcase Kelowna as an urban, lakeside, culinary capital, surrounded by agriculture and natural beauty, perfect for year-round exploration. We work with travel media to lend an authentic voice to tell our destination’s story through their first-hand experiences, which are similar to those of a visitor.

Over the last 12 months, Tourism Kelowna hosted media in every month, working to showcase Kelowna’s four-season appeal. Nearly 50 national and international media guests were hosted, visiting from the United States, UK, Mexico, China, and areas of Canada including BC, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec. These guests represented outlets such as Western Living, Huffington Post, Out TV, Senior Living, Food & Wine Magazine, numerous Post Media outlets, and several blogs and digital publications with dedicated and engaged readerships. Tourism Kelowna works efficiently, partnering on visits with organizations such as BC Wine Institute, Okanagan Wine Festivals Society, Marriott, and Mark Anthony Group.

Discover Kelowna

Below, are key pieces (a micro sample of the more than 300 placements) from the past year as a result of Tourism Kelowna's travel media hosting and partnerships:

  • Cover story/destination feature in North West Travel & Life (print edition) by Allen Cox
  • Two-page culinary exploration in Financial Post (inserted into National Post Saturday edition) by Alison Kent
  • Wine region coverage on Forbes.com by Amber Gibson and Veronica Meewes and Matador Network by Tim Wenger
  • Dining guide (placed in winter) on BCLiving.com by Amy Watkins
  • Three Kelowna and area-specific pieces in the ‘Okanagan Issue’ of Western Living from Dominika Lirette and Lisa Kadane
  • Four separate posts on Homoculture.com showcasing Kelowna Pride and our destination by Brain Webb
  • Two travel features in the Winnipeg Free Press weekend edition this fall from Ron Pradinuk
  • Fall travel highlight on CityTV Breakfast Television in Calgary and Global TV's Facebook Live from Jody Robbins

For more information on Tourism Kelowna's travel media-related efforts, reach out to Jennifer Widmer at jennifer.widmer@tourismkelowna.com.