Season of Success – New Ideas and Big Wins in Visitor Servicing
The Station
Mary Putnam
As September comes to a close, we’re celebrating another memorable peak tourism season in Kamloops. The Roam Street Team embraced new initiatives, connected with visitors and locals at major events, and saw plenty of successes along the way. As always, Tourism Kamloops is proud to reflect on the season’s achievements, connections, and takeaways that come through visitor servicing.
Tourism Kamloops continues to focus on creating meaningful connections with both visitors and locals. Whether it’s recommending a hidden gem restaurant, sharing details on upcoming events, or pointing the way to the best trails, our team is dedicated to inspiring local adventures and supporting the community. Every interaction is an opportunity to understand unique interests and provide personalized suggestions that showcase the very best of Kamloops.
The Team
For another year, Tourism Kamloops was fortunate to receive funding from the Canada Summer Jobs grant, so welcomed two students through the funding, plus three additional team members to have an incredible team of five! Two of our staff were returning members from the team last summer, one was an active member of our volunteer team for several months leading up to the summer, and two were brand new to the organization – the perfect mix of experience and fresh ideas! While some team members are tourism students, and some are born-and-raised Kamloopsians, each brough unique perspectives to the team, and all five will be staying local in town and joining our volunteer team for the off-peak season!
Mary Putnam
Roam Street Team and Bike Valet Ambassadors at The Station
Mary Putnam
Riverside Park
Mary Putnam
Changes to our Visitor Servicing Model
While Tourism Kamloops continues to operate with a mobile visitor servicing model, this summer offered us the opportunity to test out a stationary location as well. Affectionately called “The Station,” our custom-branded shipping container was parked on the outdoor plaza of the Sandman Centre and operated daily between May 7 and August 31. The Station operated as a seasonal Visitor Centre, and we partnered with the City of Kamloops’ Sustainability team who offered free Bike Valet services at The Station as well. Alongside The Station, our team was able to continue to pop-up at popular events throughout the summer – the Kamloops Farmers’ Market, Overlander’s Day, Hot Nite in the City, and The International Cup were just a few events we made an appearance at.
2025 Visitor Servicing
The Roam Street Team worked hard all summer long engaging with locals and visitors from around the world, both at The Station and at events. Even though The Station was new this year from last, our 2025 team and visitor servicing model was similar to 2024.
2025 Total | 2024 Total | Difference between 2025 and 2024 | |
Face to Face – Hours of Support | 2862 | 2641 | 8% increase |
Face to Face – Visitors | 8277 | 5373 | 54% increase |
Since The Station operated 7 days/week and 12 hours/day from Monday-Saturday, we had a lot more opportunity to interact with locals and visitors compared to the 2024 season. Thanks to the partnership between the City of Kamloops and Tourism Kamloops this season, we were able to share staffing requirements which allowed us both to operate daily with extended hours. There’s no doubt our extended hours and permanent presence in a downtown hotspot are to thank for at least some of the increase in our interactions this year.
Other Changes and Opportunities this Season
Online Store
In early May, Tourism Kamloops launched an online store! After years of hearing people ask where they can buy souvenirs or some of the cool stuff we had created for staff and TK board members, we decided it was finally time to go public. Between May 7 and August 31, locals and visitors could shop the Tourism Kamloops Online Store in person at The Station, or order online and pickup there for free! We saw great success and have the Roam Street Team to thank for talking a bit of retail alongside their usual visitor servicing duties. While The Station is closed for the season, the online store is still running, and FREE local pickup and local delivery options are still available. Keep an eye out – new items are being added all the time!
Foodie and Sips Tours
Another notable opportunity for the Roam Street Team was guiding Foodie and Sips tours through downtown Kamloops. Launched in late-June, Foodie and Sips tours were fully guided experiences that stopped at four local restaurants downtown to sample some of our favourite flavours. The tours were successful, and the team learned new skills and saw a side of visitor servicing that was new to Kamloops this season – we had a group from the Netherlands book a tour! Foodie and Sips tours are currently in an adjustment phase after their summer pilot but expect them to make a return soon!
Aside from Foodie and Sips tours, The Station also acted as a meeting point for Downtown Kamloops' Tales and Treasures walking tours every Thursday night. These free tours saw all sorts of guests, and allowed our team to connect with even more people.
ChatBot
Tourism Kamloops also launched a new ChatBot on our website in the spring, and our visitor servicing team played a large role in its maintenance and accuracy. From uploading custom responses, to updating information as things around town changed throughout the summer, and categorizing and tracking all interactions, the success of the ChatBot is mostly thanks to the Roam Street Team. Having the ChatBot loaded with 1,300 responses to questions about Kamloops in time for our peak tourism season, which was extremely helpful in answering question about Kamloops at any time of day from anywhere in the world!
You can interact with the ChatBot by clicking the orange chat bubble in the bottom right hand corner of the screen.
Tourism Kamloops Merch
Mary Putnam
Foodie Tour
Andrew Snucins
Visitor Servicing in the Off-Peak Season
Tourism Kamloops will continue the same mobile model from the summer into the fall, winter, and spring, popping up at local events and hot spots in the community – this time, with a volunteer team. The 2025 Roam Street Team members are all staying local in the community and all five have offered to join the volunteer team, which is a huge win for Tourism Kamloops! As always, Tourism Kamloops will continue to stay active on digital channels as well; social media, email, and phone communication are still major modes of visitor servicing and inquiries.
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 Meghan Lawson at or 250-320-9705.
Author: Meghan Lawson
Meghan is your connection for visitor servicing, updating the events calendar, Tourism Kamloops Shop, and our Learn the 'Loops online training course!