KELOWNA–The Fall Okanagan Wine Festival is a fun-filled ten days where guests flit between merlots and cabernet sauvignons to pinot gris and chardonnays.
It’s also serious business, when it comes to the valley’s economy.
An estimated 10,000 visitors come to the area during the 10 day event, and according to festival organizers, they tend to be willing to open their wallets.
“Wine tourists are among the most affluent,” explains Blair Baldwin, General Manager of the Okanagan Wine Festivals. “During the spring and fall festivals, each individual spends, on average, $474 dollars a day.”
The festivals also attract first time tourists that turn into repeat customers, who often plan for longer future holidays. One such tourist is Steven Eckert from Calgary. “We’re going to make it a four day weekend next year rather than a two day weekend,” he told Global News.
According to an Okanagan School of Business study, more than 800,000 tourists visit B.C. wineries every year, and create a $139 million dollar impact on the economy.
It also has an impact on wine sales outside of the province, because once these tourists go home, they’re far more likely to seek out Okanagan wines from the wineries they’ve enjoyed.
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