One of the iconic structure renderings Tourism Kamloops recently shared. (Image Credit: Tourism Kamloops)

By Dylana Kneeshaw

KAMLOOPS VISITOR COUNT

Summer visits up for local region as Tourism Kamloops reveals iconic structure ideas

Oct 29, 2025 | 4:46 PM

KAMLOOPS — Around 2 million people visit the Kamloops area each year, which brings in more than $300 million in direct visitor spending, according to latest data shared by Tourism Kamloops.

The region recently saw an increase during its peak summer tourism season and Tourism Kamloops has its eye on long-term growth. It says to keep attracting visitors, the area should grow its amenities and will need to attract investors to do it.

CFJC spoke with Tourism Kamloops’ director of community development and engagement, Lisa White, Wednesday (Oct. 29) about how the past summer looked.

“The weather was incredible. Our visitation numbers were up almost five per cent, which is fantastic for our region,” says White.

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Less smoke, less heat and more events meant more visitors to the Kamloops area this past summer.

“Domestic visitation definitely saw an increase this year, which is wonderful to see as well,” she notes. “People are excited to explore our province and western Canada and really take in all that we have to offer.”

Much of those hotel bookings, meals out and local shopping came from a packed tournament schedule.

“The World Slo-Pitch Championships saw 200 teams as part of their tournament in early September. The Kamloops International Cup took place again this year and they saw great attendance at it, as well. The Slurpee Cup, our soccer tournaments, our baseball — everything saw increased visitation in tournaments and that continues to be a really great driver here for visitation in Kamloops,” explained White.

Tourism Kamloops recently dove into extensive market research to nail down three potential attractions that could grow the area’s visitor count.

“We’re a city with 100,000 people and we’re constantly trying to work out and build out the 48-hour itinerary. We love the BC Wildlife Park, we love our wineries but let’s keep adding more to that mix — not only just for visitors but for community members, as well,” notes Nic Zdunich.

An observation tower and adventure park, a spa and a skywalk over the hoodoos are what were identified as having high market potential.

“We sort of just released everything publicly [Tuesday] but we’ve actually been working with different developers or inviting different developers over to the area. For the next year, it really is about bringing people to the area, showing off the land, showing the opportunities and taking this from idea to reality.”

The hope is those pre-researched ideas will make for a more confident investment from developers to build the region’s next tourist attraction.