By Brenda Craig
Published in the Kamloops Business Magazine May 2008
The seat belt sign will stay on throughout most of 2008 according to the Canadian Tourism Commission as industry rides out some heavy turbulence in many of the country.
Part of the problem is the pumped up Canadian ‘petro buck’, It’s like a bird in engine of the Canadian tourism and hospitality business and according to Canadian Tourism a lot of travelers are striking Canada off the list of affordable destinations preferring places with more favorable exchange rates.
But thanks to some bold marketing, interesting geography
and some new travel trends, Kamloops and its honey of a climate is doing an end run around a serious descent in one of Canada’s most valuable industries.
"A Hot Destination"
“We are absolutely bucking the trend,” says the CEO of
Kamloops Tourism office, Lee Morris. “Over the last two years we have averaged 6 to 7 per cent growth in overnight accommodation stays, so we are actually tracking a head of what you will see provincially or nationally.”
The loonies’ drag on the tourism and hospitality business has been practically invisible for the Kamloops market mostly because “70 per cent of the visitor traffic that overnights in a hotel here is from British Columbia”. Those overnight stays, according to BC Tourism put brought 57 million dollars into the Kamloops economy last year and tourism and hospitality is among the top employers in the city.
“At least 40 per cent are leisure travelers” says Kamloops Airport Manager Fred Legacy, as rhymes off the latest stats on passenger traffic at the local airport. “Last year 200,611 people passed through the terminal” and “Passenger traffic has increased every month for the last 23 months and it’s heading for 24,” says Legacy.
A long time player in the travel business, Legacy says there are several reasons for his busier than ever airport, but he graciously applauds the efforts of the Kamloops two-year-old Tourism Office. “They’ve done a great job of marketing and connecting people with things to do when they do come here,” says Legacy.
"The Sweet Spot"
Not only is Kamloops getting around the notion that Canada is an expensive place to play, it’s developed a reputation on the lower mainland, northern BC and Alberta as affordable. “we’re know as good value” says communications officer Miles Prodan from Okanagan Tourism Office “with lots to offer people who want an active vacation”.
Kamloops maybe have a near desert climate, but it is fertile
ground for outdoor fun and very attractive to what Prodan refers to as the “zoomers”. They’re an off shoot of the baby boomers that can be found at ski resorts, lakes, spas, guest ranches, motorcycles, RV parks, houseboats, 5 star hotels, wine festivals, golf courses and just about anywhere their imagination, money and good health will let them go.
Palm Springs North
“Palm Springs North?” sounds good to Ian Hansen from Sun Rivers Golf Course, but he thinks it’s a little early to slap that label on Kamloops. However, Score Magazine recently identified Kamloops as premium Canadian golf hot spot. The city can claim more than a dozen courses, 8 of them championship courses, within 30 minutes of Kamloops. “We’ve always had quality product, but with the additional of Talking Rock and Tobiano we’ve moved up a level”. And he says “you’ve got diversity and quality and you can come here and play six or seven different kinds of courses and not have the same experience twice and we’re definitely seeing an increase in visitors.”
If there’s an ‘oops’ spot for the Kamloops tourism and hospitality industry for Kamloops it’s the lack of upscale hotel accommodation admits, Kamloops Tourism’s Lee Morris. “It’s been recognized for a long time that we need a 4.5 hotel in Kamloops.” And as always, Morris says Kamloops needs to keep an eye on competitors. That hefty Canadian dollar goes pretty far south of the border and the challenge for Kamloops Tourism office is to make sure people keep coming to B.C.
And says Morris “there is a serious labour shortage for everything from housekeeping staff to hotel managers.”
Generally speaking, those aren’t really bad problems to
have in the tourism and hospitality industry these days.
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