A Recap On Our Busiest Summer Yet!
The Station
Mary Putnam
As September comes to a close, we’re celebrating another memorable peak tourism season in Kamloops. This summer, the Roam Street Team took on an expanded role, operating the Bike Valet, growing our retail operations, and connecting with visitors and locals at major events throughout the community. Tourism Kamloops is proud to reflect on the season’s achievements, connections, and takeaways that come through visitor servicing.
At the heart of visitor servicing is helping people make the most of their time in Kamloops. From finding a great place to eat and discovering what’s happening around town to choosing the right trail or uncovering something unexpected, the Roam Street Team helps visitors and locals experience more of the city. These conversations allow our team to share local knowledge, offer personalized recommendations, and connect people with the experiences that make Kamloops worth exploring.
The Team
Tourism Kamloops was fortunate to receive funding through the Canada Summer Jobs program, allowing us to welcome two students through the program alongside two additional team members for a summer team of four. The team included one returning staff member and three new faces, bringing together previous experience and fresh perspectives. Three of the four team members are tourism students, and three were raised right here in Kamloops, giving the team a strong mix of tourism knowledge and firsthand familiarity with the city they were helping visitors explore.
The Station
Mary Putnam
Visitor Servicing at Riverside Park
Building on last year’s stationary visitor servicing model, The Station returned for another summer with a new home in Riverside Park. Our custom-branded shipping container was located between the pier and the Rotary Bandshell, alongside the walking paths and skating loop. The new location placed the team right in the heart of one of Kamloops’ busiest summer gathering places, creating plenty of opportunities to connect with parkgoers, visitors, and locals throughout the season.
The Station opened on May 14 and operated through September 7 as our seasonal Visitor Centre. This year, Tourism Kamloops teamed up with the City of Kamloops to operate the free Bike Valet in Riverside Park through our Roam Street Team. It’s a natural fit, giving locals and visitors a safe place to park their wheels while they explore the park, take in an event or head downtown. The service also supports active transportation, sustainability and Kamloops’ love of all things biking. We’re proud to partner with the City to keep this great community service rolling!
While Riverside Park served as our home base, the team continued to take visitor servicing on the road for select events throughout the summer. The Kamloops Farmers’ Market, Overlanders Day, and Kamloops NorthPaws baseball games were just a few of the places the team popped up to connect with the community.
2026 Visitor Servicing
The Roam Street Team had another busy summer connecting with locals and visitors from around the world at The Station, throughout Riverside Park, and at events across Kamloops. With a new location and the team taking on full operation of the Bike Valet, our visitor servicing model looked a little different in 2026.
2026 Total | 2025 Total | Difference | |
Face-to-Face – Hours of Support | 2,455 | 2,862 | 14% decrease |
Face-to-Face – Visitors | 11,446 | 8,277 | 38% increase |
This year, Tourism Kamloops independently operated both The Station and the free Bike Valet, which meant adjusting our hours from the previous season. In May and June, The Station operated from 11 AM to 7 PM and was closed on Tuesdays. For July and August, hours expanded to seven days a week from 10 AM to 9 PM, allowing the team to stay open throughout Music in the Park.
Despite recording fewer visitor servicing hours than in 2025, the team connected with significantly more people. Face-to-face interactions increased by 38%, with more than 11,000 visitors supported throughout the season. The Station’s central location in Riverside Park likely played a major role, placing the team directly alongside busy walking paths, park amenities, and some of the city’s biggest summer activities.
The move also brought the team closer to community events happening right outside The Station. Canada Celebrates, FIFA activation days, and Canada Day were among the events hosted in Riverside Park that gave the team even more opportunities to connect with locals and visitors throughout the summer.
Other Changes and Opportunities This Year
Beyond day-to-day visitor servicing at The Station, the Roam Street Team took on several additional opportunities this summer. From expanding retail offerings and leading Foodie Tours to supporting visitors online through the ChatBot, these initiatives gave the team more ways to connect with visitors and enhance their experience in Kamloops.
Expanded Retail
Retail continued to grow at The Station in 2026, with an expanded selection of Tourism Kamloops merchandise available throughout the summer. Visitors could browse a variety of Kamloops-branded items and souvenirs, giving them an opportunity to take a piece of their trip home with them. Many of these items are also available through the Tourism Kamloops online store.
The move to Riverside Park also created an opportunity to introduce a small selection of refreshments at The Station. Water, Gatorade, freezies, and chips were available for purchase, providing a convenient option for people spending time in the park.
The new location had a significant impact on retail activity. Compared to last summer, retail sales increased by 85%, while the number of orders grew by 690%. With more people passing by and stopping at The Station, the expanded retail program became another way to connect with visitors and locals while growing the role of The Station beyond traditional visitor servicing.
Foodie Tours
After a successful pilot last summer, Foodie Tours returned in 2026 with a renewed focus on showcasing the flavours and stories of downtown Kamloops. Tours began in May alongside the start of the Roam Street Team’s season and continued through August.
Guests were guided through downtown Kamloops, stopping at four local restaurants to sample a variety of flavours along the way. The experience also included stops at local murals, giving participants a chance to discover some of the public art and stories that add character to the downtown core.
Foodie Tours provided another way for the Roam Street Team to connect with visitors beyond The Station while supporting local restaurants and encouraging participants to explore more of downtown Kamloops.
ChatBot
The Tourism Kamloops ChatBot continued to play an important role in digital visitor servicing this summer, helping visitors find information about Kamloops at any time of day. Throughout the season, the team maintained and improved the ChatBot, keeping information current and continuing to make the experience easier for users to navigate.
Alongside face-to-face visitor servicing, the ChatBot gives visitors another way to get answers, discover things to do, and find helpful information while planning their trip or exploring Kamloops.
You can interact with the ChatBot by clicking the orange chat bubble in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen.
The Station
Mary Putnam
The station
Mary Putnam
Visitor Servicing in the Off-Peak Season
With The Station closed for the season, Tourism Kamloops is shifting back to a volunteer-based visitor servicing model for the fall, winter, and spring. Members of the Roam Street Team who are staying local will continue to be involved, joining our volunteers at events and community happenings throughout the off-season. Keep an eye out for some familiar faces while exploring Kamloops this fall!
Visitor servicing also continues beyond our in-person interactions. Our team remains available through digital channels, social media, email, and phone to help visitors find information, plan their stay, and make the most of their time in Kamloops.Visitors can find current contact information and ways to connect with the team on our Visitor Services page.
Another busy summer may be behind us, but the connections don’t stop when The Station closes. We’re looking forward to carrying the momentum of the season into fall and beyond, staying connected with our community and continuing to help visitors discover more of Kamloops.
The sun may be setting on another successful summer season, but Tourism Kamloops isn’t slowing down. Building on the energy of a vibrant peak season, we’re charging forward into fall and beyond. We’re ready to embrace new opportunities, connect with visitors in new ways, and continue showcasing everything our city has to offer.
For inquiries about our Roam Street Team, Volunteer Ambassador Program, or visitor servicing, please connect with Justin Tarasoff at or 250-320-9705.
Author: Justin Tarasoff
Justin is your connection for visitor servicing, updating the events calendar, Tourism Kamloops web store, and our Learn the 'Loops online training course!