250 representatives of Central Okanagan tourism businesses attended the first Central Okanagan Tourism Showcase at the Laurel Packinghouse on Tuesday in Kelowna.
Quail’s Gate Winery, Canadian Craft Tours, and Big White Ski Resort were just some of the big tourist attractions featured at the showcase.
The event offers workshops on human resources, social media, and other hot topics in the tourism industry.
Ultimately, the goal of the showcase is to allow businesses to meet with one another and build partnerships to offer a greater tourism experience.
“The really exciting thing that’s happening in the Okanagan is the variety of experiences that are available,” says Gord Hotchkiss, owner of G.O. Cycling Experiences. “I think the variety of what you see here shows that we can provide a pretty rich experience.”
Each year, the local tourism industry generates a total of $1.25 billion in total economic output, as well as 12,000 jobs.
Kelowna saw a total of 1.9 million tourists and visitors in the year of 2016, spending a total of $337 million.