As smoky conditions settle in on Kamloops for the first time this year, the CEO of Tourism Kamloops is hoping for a smoke free summer.

Beverley DeSantis says there are several reasons beyond tourism why she is hoping this year isn’t as bad as the last two seasons.

“Folks need to be really diligent. A lot of these fires are started by human beings and people are just not thinking of the consequences of their actions,” she said. “We all need to be diligent out there when we are out there enjoying our natural resources.”

Despite last year’s record fire season, Tourism Kamloops had a wildly successful 2018 where they doubled their growth target of 3 per cent from 2017 levels to 6 per cent.

DeSantis says 1.85 million tourists came to Kamloops last year and they contributed $282 million to the local economy.

The goal for this year is a 3.5 per cent growth in revenue.