August is a time of year when downtown Kelowna is filled with visitors from far and wide.
But it appears the peak tourism months are falling flat more than half way through the season.
“Honestly, it’s been a very disappointing summer,” said André Thomas, owner of the Memphis Blues Barbeque House.
On Monday, downtown restaurant patios were only partially filled during the lunch hour.
For those who rely on tourism dollars, it’s especially disappointing given all indications pointed to strong season following a lacklustre one last year.
With a strained relationship between Canada and the United States and more Canadians choosing to vacation at home, there were high hopes for a strong tourism season at the start of summer.
“I was believing that too, that we are going to have more business,” said Andre Plyusnin, owner of SunWave Boat Rentals.
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On Monday, one of the hottest days of the season, nine of the 10 rental boats in his fleet were sitting idle in the parking lot of his facility.
“On a beautiful day like today, I would have all these boats out on the water,” he said. “It’s slow. One of the slowest years in the seven seasons that I have been doing this.”
Tourism officials say hotels are packed and the Okanagan still attracting plenty of tourists, but the economy has them spending less.
“The beaches are busy. The highways are busy and anything that is less expensive or free is busy,” said Ellen Walker-Matthews, CEO of the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association. “But I think where we used to see people going out to dinner every night and going out for lunch every day. They’re cutting back.”
While the economy appears to be the main culprit, Walker-Matthews said short-term rental restrictions are also likely playing a role.
“If we had that additional accommodation that had kitchenettes in them, we would see people wanting to book those so, you know, there’s that layer of guests that isn’t here,” Walker-Matthews said. “I think there needs to be more conversation about short-term rentals. I think we need to look into it a little further.”
Those who rely on tourism dollars are banking on the 2025 Canadian Country Music awards in Kelowna in September for a much-needed boost.
“That should be a great week and hopefully that will help out,” Thomas said.
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