WATCH: Why the local tourism sector is optimistic about this summer

• Tourism Kelowna can market to tourists for the first time in years
• Some sectors recovering quickly, others not so much

A resilient but beleaguered tourist industry may have reason to be positive.

Based on data from the past few years, Tourism Kelowna predicts a much better upcoming season than what the past two years had to offer.

“We are hopefully poised to have one of our best summer seasons on record,” Lisanne Ballantyne, CEO and president of Tourism Kelowna told Kelowna10.

“We’re so excited because we get to market for the first time in a couple of years. Because of all the restrictions, we weren’t able to get an invitation out to the rest of Canada.”

They saw similar signs last July showing pent up demand to come here but the pandemic and the wildfires brought things crashing to a halt, according to Ballantyne.

Tourism is a big economic driver in the Okanagan, accounting for $2 billion in revenue and over 13,000 jobs.

2020 saw a drastic reduction in those numbers due to the pandemic. Some businesses may take years to financially recover.

“We can tell you that the hotels are pacing very well right now in the Kelowna area for the summer,” Ballantyne said. “Meetings, conferences, and events are taking much longer to recover.”

Last year saw improvements in tourist numbers compared to 2020. In 2021, two million people came for overnight trips to the Okanagan, an 18.2 per cent improvement.

Every month last year saw increases in visitors, except for months affected by wildfires.

International travel restrictions and recommendations against intra-provincial trips meant much of the traffic was from within B.C. last year.

Over two-thirds were from within the province, 12.5 per cent were from Alberta, and the remaining 20 per cent were from Ontario, other parts of Canada, and the United States. Only 1 per cent were international.

Another metric showing tourism season is heating up again is flight seats.

830,000 passengers flew through YLW last year, a 12.5 per cent increase over the year, a far cry from the two million flyers YLW saw in pre-pandemic years but still an improvement.

The pandemic proved visitors see Kelowna as a summer destination, Ballantyne said. Despite there being no advertising, over two million tourists still came to soak up some sun.

In 2019, Tourism Kelowna tried to shift the city’s image to bring people here for more than one season. With restrictions lifting, those efforts will continue.

“We are more than a one season resort town,” Ballantyne said. “We are a four-season playground is how we’re positioning it.”