(Photo credit: CFJC Today).

By Stephanie Swensrude

STAYCATION

Kamloops residents turn to local attractions amid high gas prices

Jul 12, 2022 | 4:41 PM

KAMLOOPS — For two summers, travel outside of the province was advised against due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now that restrictions have, for the most part, relaxed, travellers face a new barrier: record high gas prices, making it harder to travel even to work, let alone on weekend vacations.

“Gas prices is something that has challenged the industry again for the summer,” said Monica Dickinson, CEO of Tourism Kamloops.

“I’ve got to imagine that people are looking to stay close to home and explore more. I know that they’ve stuck close to home the last couple of years.”

“The good news is there’s lots happening here in Kamloops, it’s a great place to continue to hang out,” she said.

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Tourism Kamloops has revamped their Luv’n the Loops promotion to encourage locals to spend time as a tourist in their own city.

“We’re super excited for another year of offering incentives and discounts to residents and visitors who come to the city,” she said.

“We have twenty participating businesses at this point. [We want to] really encourage to get people out and exploring the city in different ways.”

The turn to supporting local has excited winery owners in the region. Monte Creek Winery, about 30 minutes east of Kamloops, has seen an increase in visitors from the city.

“In a normal year we do see a lot of international visitors and we see a lot of out of province and out of area — so Alberta or the Lower Mainland,” said Ashley Demedeiros-Cox.

“But with travel restrictions or travel changes we’re seeing a lot more local support, and of course gas prices being higher than they normally are.”

Another attraction seeing an uptick in local visitors is the BC Wildlife Park. Pre-pandemic, about 12 per cent of their visitors were locals with annual passes. That number peaked at 30 per cent over the last few years, but it’s still high now at 18 per cent.

“In the past we would notice a ton of license plates from Washington, Oregon, Alberta, and if you walk through our parking lot right now, you’ll see the odd car from the United States, and a few from Alberta, but it’s mostly BC plates,” said Glenn Grant from the BC Wildlife Park.

“So we’re seeing a lot of guests that are coming from Kelowna, Vernon, Merritt, Clearwater, Salmon Arm, in around that area,” said Grant.

“We’re definitely getting a lot of traffic and a lot of people that are enjoying and staying in the Thompson Okanagan and visiting everything that there is to do in our own region,” he said.

Dickinson says they are available for those locals looking for something new to try in their city.

“We’re fully accessible online and by phone too. We’re always answering calls and answering questions and helping people have the best experience possible here,” she said.