Soggy weather dampened tourist enthusiasm for Kelowna last summer

Tourism operators in Kelowna took a bit of business hit last summer because of mother nature.

Tourism Kelowna reports hotel occupancy was down 7.2 percent last July and 6 per cent in August compared to the same months in 2016.

The agency attributes the decreases to weather-related challenges in the spring and summer months.

That’s when rain and spring-run off combined to create flooding in many area creeks as well as Okanagan Lake.

“We know that the weather had an impact on local accommodators,” says Sean Coward, President of the Kelowna Hotel Motel Association. “We still saw visitors come but some may have chosen to shorten their stay.”

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But the numbers rebounded in the fall months, and overall in 2017, hotel occupancy dipped just .3 per cent from 2016.

That was the strongest year ever for for occupancy in Kelowna when the overall rate was 64.1 per cent.

“Kelowna had a very strong year in 2016,” says Coward. “To see that our 2017 hotel occupancy numbers kept pace with that growth is a sign of a strong and desirable destination. We’re optimistic that growth will continue in 2018.”

Tourism Kelowna says more than 1.9 million people visited the city in 2016 spending $337 million.

The agency wants to increase visitors to three million by 2021.