Tourism Kamloops wins BCEDA award for investment attraction campaign

By AI, Created 5:00 PM UTC, May 18, 2026, /AGP/ – Tourism Kamloops won the BC Economic Development Association’s Tourism & Economic Development Award for a project that aimed to attract private investment to new landmark tourism amenities in Kamloops, B.C. The recognition highlights a rare model where a destination marketing organization led investor outreach, and active developer talks are still underway.

Why it matters: - Tourism Kamloops’ win signals that destination organizations can play a direct role in attracting private capital, not just promoting visitation. - The award adds provincial validation to a multi-year effort to turn tourism concepts into investable projects for Kamloops. - Active developer conversations could move one or more concepts closer to market.

What happened: - Tourism Kamloops received the BC Economic Development Association’s Tourism & Economic Development Award in the 25,000+ population category for the Iconic Structure Project. - The award was presented May 13 at the BC Economic Summit in Penticton. - The project positioned Tourism Kamloops as the lead on private-sector investment attraction for a new landmark in Kamloops.

The details: - The project started with a question about what it would take to attract serious private investment to a landmark attraction in Kamloops. - Tourism Kamloops hired researchers and economists to assess 12 tourism infrastructure concepts. - A qualification process, shaped by industry engagement and regional input, narrowed the field to three concepts: a Nordic Spa, a Skywalk over the Hoodoos, and an Iconic Tower and Adventure Park. - Independent analysis of market comparables and local demand conditions helped validate the concepts before investor outreach began. - Tourism Kamloops then built investor-grade lookbooks for each concept. - The organization launched targeted outreach to developers and capital partners across Canada. - Seven qualified developer meetings were secured in the first quarter. - The nine-organization steering committee included Destination BC, the City of Kamloops, Venture Kamloops, the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association, the Thompson-Nicola Regional District, and Sc.wén̓wen Economic Development Corporation.

Between the lines: - The project reflects a broader shift from tourism marketing to place-based investment attraction. - The award suggests the market is receptive to a more formal, evidence-based pitch for destination infrastructure. - The steering committee structure helped the campaign present a unified local and regional front to potential investors. - Erik Fisher, CEO of Tourism Kamloops, said the recognition reflects two years of work and provincial validation of the effort.

What’s next: - Tourism Kamloops says active developer conversations continue across all three concepts. - Investor lookbooks and the full feasibility summary are available at Tourism Kamloops. - The organization also plans to keep aligning marketing, product development and investment outreach as part of its regenerative tourism strategy.

The bottom line: - Tourism Kamloops turned a tourism campaign into an investment attraction playbook, and provincial recognition may help it keep momentum with developers.