With LGBT+ travel on the rise, it is more important than ever to ensure travellers in this growing market know that Kelowna and its surrounding communities are open and welcoming to everyone. To provide the tourism industry with an understanding of "how to effectively understand, value, and serve LGBT+ customers and employees," CGLCC (Canada's LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce), in partnership with Tourism HR Canada (THRC) and the Government of Canada, are conducting a complimentary LGBT+ Inclusion Training session here in Kelowna on March 13, 2019.
The training session, which is geared towards employees at all levels of an organization and is open to anyone working in the tourism industry, includes an in-person, four-hour workshop along with an online module. Kelowna is one of 10 cities in Canada where the training session will be offered, so don't miss your opportunity to take part. To register, or for more information on the topics that will be covered, click here.
About Tourism Kelowna's LGBT+ Marketing Plans
As an important part of Tourism Kelowna's marketing plans, we have already targeted several marketing initiatives toward the LGBT+ travel market, which has an estimated annual value of more than $200 billion USD. In partnership with Travel Penticton, and as part of Destination Canada's Connecting America's Co-op Marketing Program, we launched a campaign targeted at travellers from the U.S. This campaign included a visit from television and social media personalities (and real-life couple), John Halbach and Kit Williamson, which resulted in a fully-produced video and a city guide for GayCities. Additionally, targeted digital advertising and social media posts were created, a more robust section was added to our website, and a video was created (see below). For more information on these marketing initiatives, click here. Our team continues to develop and build plans to draw LGBT+ visitors to our great destination.
