Tourism Week

May 24 - 31 is Tourism Week in Canada. This initiative, led nationally by the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) and provincially by the Tourism Industry Association of BC (TIABC), is an annual celebration of Canada's tourism industry, workers, and captivating attractions that welcome visitors from home and abroad.

This year, Tourism Week looks very different than most years. Canada's tourism sector was first hit and hardest hit by the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic and will be one of the last sectors to fully recover. The national and provincial associations are the voice for the tourism sector and have been advocating for government support to help us get through this crisis so that businesses are ready and able to welcome visitors as soon as it's safe to do so. They are launching a national grassroots advocacy campaign to help deliver this message to decision-makers in Ottawa, learn more.

Tourism Kelowna's focus this year will be on conveying the importance of the industry, whose numerous contributions strengthen the local economy and enrich the quality of life for residents. We will also showcase additional ways for those in the community to #exploreKelownalocal, which includes Show Your Love for Kelowna Day on May 30.

We encourage you to showcase your business’ contributions alongside our efforts. Here are a few ideas for you to consider for Tourism Week:

Highlight the work of a long-standing team member, or welcome new faces to the team, through a blog or social media post.
Share a quote or testimonial from a customer or supplier.
Showcase uplifting stories or interesting tidbits about your business throughout the week, to further connect with locals and with visitors who are planning for future travel.

Those in the community can also show their support for local tourism-related businesses this week in a variety of ways—visit our #exploreKelownalocal page and #exploreKelowna blog for ideas and get set to join us for Show Your Love for Kelowna Day on May 30.

Dreaming of the day you can visit Kelowna again and want to show your support? Share photos from past trips, give shout-outs to those businesses you can't wait to visit again or take part in virtual events. We can't wait to see you when it's time to travel again!

Local Economic Impact of the Tourism Industry

Number of overnight visitors: 1.8 million
Annual visitor spending: $337 million
Total number of jobs: 11,890
Total tax revenues: $142 million
Total economic output: $1.25 billion

Kelowna's Tourism Industry Fast Facts

If you have any questions about Tourism Week or the economic impact of the tourism industry in Kelowna, please reach out to marketing@tourismkelowna.com.