Photo of a hiker/via Tourism Kamloops
Tourism Kamloops is looking at a spending blitz in the coming months to try to keep revenues from falling back down — despite solid returns in 2023.
As part of a Year in Review report to Kamloops Council, Tourism Kamloops CEO Monica Dickinson notes that overall tourism impacts have shot above pre-pandemic levels, with overall numbers hitting 1.96 million this year, up from the 1.92 million visits before COVID hit in 2019.
At the same time, the report from Tourism Kamloops shows the overall economic impact from tourism is projected at 522 million this year, well above the 499 million generated in 2019 before COVID hit.
However, Dickinson says without major events next year, like Memorial Cup or Scotties this year, they’re looking to spend a significant portion of their current 3.2 million dollar surplus on a number of promotional activities.
“We have just launched with an agency to start that conversation of refreshing and rejuvenating our brand, and building a brand new website,” Dickenson told council Tuesday.
Stats provided to Kamloops city council Tuesday/via Tourism Kamloops
Despite this, Dickinson concedes many in the tourism sector in Kamloops have been expressing concerns about what 2024 holds.
“Our industry partners are nervous. We’re hearing words like uncertainty, concern and dire conditions are major sentiments when asked to reflect on the future,” said Dickenson. “We know that 2024 is lacking major events. And with the economic instability, people are not prioritizing travel as eagerly.”
The same report also shows people in Kamloops are somewhat skeptical about the city’s ability to continue to attract visitors through the tourism infrastructure that’s currently available.
Asked this year whether “Kamloops has sufficient infrastructure and attractions to be considered a desirable tourism destination,” 48.2 percent of people voted “no” in a survey conducted by Tourism Kamloops this year, with 51.8 percent voting yes.
This is down from the 64 percent in 2022 who felt Kamloops has the proper infrastructure to continue to attracting more visitors.
“[The] 2023 results demonstrate that little progress has been made regarding the perception that Kamloops has the necessary infrastructure to be considered a desirable tourism destination,” said the Tourism Kamloops report.
