Image Credit: Curtis Goodrum / CFJC Today

By Curtis Goodrum

TOURISM IN KAMLOOPS

Hospitality industry in Kamloops region seeing a net-positive year

Aug 28, 2025 | 10:30 AM

KAMLOOPS – Local tourism-based businesses are seeing a strong year and a bounceback since the COVID-19 pandemic. This is due to a variety of factors, including many Canadians changing their vacation plans from down south to holiday locally — and a push to spend Canadian dollars in Canada.

“We’ve had a very strong year. Our group business has been great with weddings but also our leisure individual traveller. We got a few bookings just today for today. Something is driving that very short-term demand,” said Vivek Sharma, co-owner of Lac Le Jeune Resort, speaking to CFJC Today Wednesday (Aug. 27).

Since the pandemic, a lot of hospitality-based industries have struggled. However, this year seems to be a bounceback for many local businesses.

“This year has actually been up for us. We are beyond grateful. It’s been a unique season. We plan for that up-and-down roller coaster that I think we’ve come to expect within the hospitality industry that a lot of us face, but this year in particular has been one of our strongest summers,” said Maeghan Summers, a partner and operational manager at the Noble Pig.

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The limited smoke and warm weather have helped areas like Lac Le Jeune attract visitors from other parts of the interior.

“Many of the phone calls that we get for guests who are planning to book with us have had a change of plans and want to stay closer to home. Our markets here are within a two-to-three-hour drive radius. We do see a lot of guests in our resort, predominantly out of the Okanagan Valley,” said Monica Dickinson, co-owner of Lac Le Juene Resort.

“If you talk to every single business, they’re going to have a different lens on what’s going on in our industry right now. All of us have been faced with a lot of dynamic challenges. However, Kamloops has a lot of great things going for it,” said Summers.

Both businesses are looking forward to continuing their momentum into the fall and winter.