Tourism Kamloops promotional picture/via Tourism Kamloops
The head of Tourism Kamloops says there’s a lot to be optimistic about for 2025, despite a slower visitor trend last year and the prospect that the tariff fight may have on the provincial economy.
“We’re optimistic about the bookings already in 2025. Golf Kamloops, for instance, is pacing well above 2024,” Tourism Kamloops CEO Erik Fisher told Radio NL. “A lot of Canadians that are being surveyed right now are expressing interest in staying in Canada, if you will, and have outwardly targeted British Columbia as part of their upcoming travel plans.”
In a bid to try to capitalize on that, Tourism Kamloops has been running promotions through Global Television in Vancouver, as well as across the border into Washington State.
“We’re aiming to appeal to as many people in the Pacific Northwest as possible, first and foremost,” said Fisher. “Not to say that we aren’t aiming to attract more international visitors and visitors all across North America for that matter. We think that the time is definitely right. I think we want to showcase some of those undeniable qualities that Kamloops has to offer.”
Fisher does suggest they are looking for tourists to come into Kamloops from Washington State, but also as far south as Oregon as well, suggesting the goal is to focus in on the short-haul, for people who want to make the drive to Kamloops and the region.
“Internationally, there’s a lot of travelers who have indicated they’d strongly consider Canada over the US right now,” added Fisher. “I think that we have a great opportunity to not only succeed, but excel. I think the US dollar is still really strong, so Canada and Kamloops, for that matter, is really appealing to our friends just south of the border as well.”
Snapshot provided by Tourism Kamloops of its 2024 analysis/via Tourism Kamloops
The suggestions by Fisher follow on the heels of Tourism Kamloops’ latest annual analysis.
The annual review by independent firms Larose Research & Strategy and Pacific Analytics has found that direct spending in Kamloops by tourists hit $316 million last year.
That represents a record, despite the number of tourists dropping last year by around 4.5% compared to 2023.
“While 2024 presented headwinds-including wildfire concerns, inflationary challenges, and overall economic pressures, Kamloops showed notable resilience,” said Tourism Kamloops in releasing its latest report, which its been compiling in the same way since 2016.
The report shows there were 1.87 million visitors to Kamloops last year.
The same analysis shows that tourism, both directly and indirectly, supported 2,645 jobs in Kamloops last year.
