Tourism Kamloops: Industry Pulse Check
Lac du Bois Grasslands
Andrew Snucins
Picture this: It’s early spring in Kamloops. A visitor strolls through the Farmers’ Market, latte in hand, soaking in the buzz of locals sharing stories and vendors chatting with weekend explorers. A short drive away, a family cheers as their kid scores a goal at a soccer tournament. Across the river, a couple hikes a trail they found through a Tourism Kamloops blog, marveling at the wide-open skies and the freedom to roam.
These aren’t just moments, they’re the everyday wins that drive our visitor economy. And they’re powered by the people behind the scenes: you.
This spring, we heard from dozens of our tourism partners through the 2024 Kamloops Tourism Industry Partner Survey. Your feedback paints a picture of cautious optimism, strong collaboration, and shared ambition. From increased marketing investment to calls for deeper data insights and more off-season activation, your voices are shaping where we go next.
Here’s a snapshot of how our industry is performing, what we’re proud of, and what we’re working on together.
Business Confidence Is Holding Steady
Confidence in Kamloops’ tourism economy remains strong. In 2024, both the business revenue growth optimism and industry-wide growth outlook averaged 7/10, consistent with 2023 levels. This suggests that while the optimism plateaued, it remains solid—providing a dependable foundation for future planning.
Consistent Alignment and Perceived Value
Respondents rated the value of their partnership with Tourism Kamloops at 7/10, unchanged from 2023—a strong and steady endorsement of TK’s support role.
When it comes to alignment with target audiences, partners continued to feel well-connected, maintaining a score of 7/10, again holding consistent with the previous year. This shows that TK’s focus on key segments like Roadtrippin’ Families and Young Urbanite Couples is still resonating.
Off-Season Revenue Distribution
Summer revenue share dropped from 44% in 2023 to 37% in 2024, while Spring revenue increased from 21% to 26%, hinting at a more balanced year-round tourism economy.
What’s Next?
These insights affirm that Kamloops' tourism industry is on a strong upward trajectory. And we're not standing still. Based on key partner feedback from the 2024 Kamloops Tourism Industry Partner Survey, Tourism Kamloops is actively working on several initiatives that respond directly to what we heard:
- You asked for more events to boost business in the off-season – We’re working more strategically with key community partners to attract larger-scale events during the shoulder and winter seasons. These efforts respond directly to partner feedback and aim to increase city-wide visitation and economic activity from October through April.
- You want better access to data to inform your decisions – We’re prioritizing improved reporting tools and regular performance insights to help partners better plan their marketing and operational efforts.
- You emphasized the importance of new experiences and collaboration. We’re expanding efforts with partners like TRU, Kamloops Innovation Centre, and the City of Kamloops to co-develop new tourism experiences, especially for the shoulder season.
- You signaled growing concern about gaps in destination and experience development – In fact, 56% of respondents flagged this as a barrier to growth in 2024, up from 47% last year. That’s why Tourism Kamloops is continuing to champion efforts that build new, year-round visitor experiences and support local businesses ready to lead them. We’ve completed a feasibility study for an iconic attraction and are now hosting FAM tours with interested developers. We’re also inviting key partners for site visits to inspire and accelerate their vision for bringing these attractions to Kamloops.
Kamloops is growing, and we’re building toward a more connected, innovative, and year-round destination together.
