For Immediate Release
October 13, 2023. Kamloops, B.C.: The Old Courthouse at 7 West Seymour Street in Kamloops was the site of an announcement by Tourism Kamloops, in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport and the City of Kamloops, to Illuminate Kamloops. The Old Courthouse, along with five other sites in Kamloops, is a part of a new collaboration between Tourism Kamloops and the City to activate areas to encourage exploration by both visitors and locals, supported by the Province through the Community Economic Recovery Infrastructure Program.
“We are thrilled that these projects have come together like they have,” noted Monica Dickinson, CEO of Tourism Kamloops. “This funding has supported important placemaking experiences, enhanced our collaboration and partnership with the City of Kamloops, and created unique sites throughout Kamloops for people to visit. Our intention is to illuminate the spaces and creatively tell stories of Kamloops to encourage people to see and do more while they are here.”
The Community Economic Recovery Infrastructure Program, or CERIP, was developed to provide fully funded provincial grants to support economic resilience, tourism, heritage, and urban and rural economic development projects in communities impacted by COVID-19.
“Investments in tourism infrastructure projects like Illuminate Kamloops are good for visitors, good for communities and good for the economy,” said Lana Popham, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport. “The tourism investments we’ve made in regions throughout the province are creating a more vibrant British Columbia for everyone and the Illuminate Kamloops project is an incredible example of how spaces like this create welcoming, engaging, and fun experiences for residents and tourists.”
CERIP has invested over $41 million into more than 100 new destination development projects throughout B.C., with Tourism Kamloops being one of those recipients.
“These funds contribute to strengthening tourism growth and developing tourism experiences, helping to further stimulate our visitor economy,” remarked Dickinson. “We’ve already seen levels of visitation to Kamloops back to pre-pandemic numbers. These continued investments by the Ministry in destination development will help us further increase employment in the sector while helping to create more vibrant areas to enhance the quality of life for our residents and experiences for our visitors.”
Each location will have a unique and different activation, ranging from artistic murals to interactive light and audio experiences utilizing new and creative technologies. Each spot will feature signage with a QR code to share more about the activation and showcase other things to do close by.
The Loops Explorer Station at 358 Victoria Street landed at its temporary home earlier this summer. An installation at the Old Courthouse at 7 Seymour Street is operational now and one at the Old Men’s Provincial Historic Cemetery and Arboretum at 1000 6th Avenue will be ready in the next week. Additional installations are currently in production and will begin to pop-up around Kamloops throughout the fall and winter. Dickinson encourages people to get out and start exploring.
“We look forward to people getting out to explore, take photos, and share with their friends using #explorekamloops. This project has been an exceptional collaboration with many partners, and we thank the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport for the funding and support of the City of Kamloops to help make it all happen.”
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About Tourism Kamloops
Tourism Kamloops leads strategic destination marketing, partners, and collaborates with stakeholders, and supports development to promote Kamloops as a distinct and desirable tourism destination. Their goal is to increase tourism revenues through the delivery of innovative, results-based marketing strategies.
To learn more about Tourism Kamloops, visit www.tourismkamloops.com.
Media Contact:
Monica Dickinson, CEO, Tourism Kamloops
250.819.0276