The team at Tourism Kelowna, under the direction of CEO Nancy Cameron, has always done an incredible job of working with local municipalities and Chambers of Commerce to market and promote the Okanagan as a premier destination for travellers.
@Tourism_Kelowna for instance provides would-be travellers with a sense of the wide range of activities and sights that would make a trip here worthwhile, whether it’s outdoor yoga followed by a glass of wine at one of our beautiful vineyards, or a public beach where you can kick off your shoes and enjoy the sun.
According to a 2015 Destination BC Regional Tourism Profile of the Thompson-Okanagan, in 2012, overnight tourism in the Thompson Okanagan generated 3.8 million visits and $1.1 billion in related spending.
Of those travellers, Canadians visiting the Thompson Okanagan stayed 3.3 nights and spent $119 per night during their trip.
In comparison, US travel parties stayed 3.5 nights and spent $193 per night during their trip. Yet, while they stayed longer and spent more, US visitors represent only about 6% of all overnight travellers who visit the Okanagan.
It’s clear that attracting more US visitors to our region would generate more business for our local economy.
To this end, I was pleased to learn that on May 22, 2015, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced $30 million over three years for a major new tourism campaign entitled Connecting America to attract more American visitors to destinations across Canada.
The initiative will enable the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) to collaborate with partners in the private sector, international travel trade (e.g., travel agents, tour operators) and the provinces and territories to promote Canada as a premier tourism destination, creating exciting new opportunities for the sector.
Connecting America has already met with favourable feedback from organizations like the Hotel Association of Canada.
The Government of Canada has long recognized the importance of our cultural and tourism sectors to the economy and is committed to supporting them. Through Canada’s Federal Tourism Strategy, the government is supporting Canada’s tourism industry to take advantage of international growth opportunities, increase tourism revenues and create jobs in Canada.
This includes measures like negotiating new or expanded bilateral air services agreements and visa initiatives like ten year multiple-entry visas and the Can+ visa program for low-risk travellers from some of our highest growth markets, including India and Mexico.
Given the changes in market conditions in the U.S. and federal-provincial-territorial and industry support, the time is opportune for the CTC to resume marketing activities in the U.S.
The Okanagan is a premier four-season tourism destination with one of the best airports in the country to facilitate travel from the US. I am hopeful that this injection of funding will attract more American visitors to our region and generate more jobs and growth for the many local businesses that rely on tourism in our communities.
Ron Cannan is the Member of Parliament for Kelowna-Lake Country and welcomes your feedback at [email protected].
This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.