Mission:
“To support and market the tourism destination of Kelowna in a sustainable manner that strengthens the economy and enriches the quality of life for residents and neighbouring communities.” (Tourism Kelowna, 2020b).
Vision:
“Kelowna and the region will be internationally recognized as the four-season outdoor destination of choice in North America by 2023.” (Tourism Kelowna, 2020b).
Strategic goals:
These goals were created in 2015 to set checkpoints every year and reassess the goals after 2019.
“To generate overnight visitor demand to economically benefit Kelowna and its neighbouring communities” is the new Mission of the Tourism Kelowna Society as determined by the updating of Tourism Kelowna’s strategic direction. Consumer, tourism stakeholder, and resident input were used to informing the process, and municipal government long-term visions were reviewed to ensure that our direction was aligned with the development plans of the City of Kelowna, District of Lake Country, District Municipality of West Kelowna, and Westbank First Nations.
This Mission will be accomplished by concentrating our efforts in three interdependent Key Result Areas:
- Undertake effective destination marketing, sales, and service
- Encourage the development of our destination
- Operate with excellence
(Tourism Kelowna, 2020b)
Covid planning:
As Kelowna is in the province of British Columbia, the issues surrounding coronavirus are dealt with at a provincial level through the government of British Columbia (Tourism Kelowna, 2020c). This means any regulations set out by the government of BC will have an impact on Kelowna. For more information and links see https://www.tourismkelowna.com/coronavirus-update/industry/and https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/emergency-preparedness-response-recovery/covid-19-provincial-support/restrictions
Destination BC (2020) has released a document called messaging guidance for BC’s tourism industry with a focus on communications focus, suggested key message, recommended action, and a section of frequently asked questions. For more information see https://www.destinationbc.ca/content/uploads/2020/11/029_Covid19ResponseMessagingGuidance_Nov20_FINAL.pdf
Page References:
Destination BC. (2020). Messaging guidance for BC’s tourism industry. destnationbc.ca. https://www.destinationbc.ca/covid-
19/destination-bc-response/messaging-toolkit/
Tourism Kelowna. (2020b). Tourism Kelowna Industry Information. Tourismkelowna.com.
https://www.tourismkelowna.com/industry/
Tourism Kelowna. (2020c, November 20). Kelowna Tourism Industry COVID-19 Information.Tourismkelowna.com.