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By Dylana Kneeshaw

KAMLOOPS TOURISM UPDATE

Tourism Kamloops eyeing shoulder season visitor growth, developing plan for future iconic attraction

Dec 19, 2024 | 5:06 PM

KAMLOOPS — 2024 is coming to a close in two weeks’ time and Tourism Kamloops says the area saw another strong year of visitors from start to finish. Higher snowfall in January brought in the seasonal swell of skiers, snowboarders and sledders to the area, and summer wildfire smoke wasn’t as heavy as it has been in years past.

A final count on economic impact and visitor numbers won’t be available for several months, but Tourism Kamloops Destination Development Manager Nic Zdunich says there was no shortage of events and recreational activities to bring in new and repeat visitors.

“This year, we had a really strong tournament market. Tournaments are our bread and butter, so it was really interesting — people are still coming from all around. It was a beautiful summer season here so we had a lot of leisure travellers. Overall, there were lots of good festivals and events going on,” says Zdunich. “We’re really just sort of focusing on that shoulder season, so looking at really exciting opportunities for winter festivals and spring festivals.”

Tourism Kamloops is also spearheading the planning and development to eventually see an iconic attraction built in the local area. There is no firm plan yet on what exactly it will be, but Zdunich says the structure will be more experienced-based to draw people in, not a roadside novelty.

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“Something that is very experiential, that’s family-friendly, that’s a date experience, it brings people here, something else just for people to do in Kamloops. We kind of started that years ago, sort of using that momentum with the BC Wildlife Park. Obviously it’s one of our main attractions and everything. We’re trying to coordinate everyone and build something new,” he explains.

Tourism Kamloops says residents can expect more information on the plans for an iconic structure in the spring.