Enjoying the heat at Tugboat Beach in Kelowna on Canada Day.

(JOHN MCDONALD / iNFOnews.ca)

Tourists are flocking to the Thompson-Okanagan to jam up traffic and crowd your favourite beach but they also bring a lot of money.

Unfortunately, Kamloops tourism has taken a bit of a hit this year while the Okanagan has seen an uptick in visitors. 

Here’s the data on where and how people are moving in the Okanagan and Kamloops and where they're not:

10.5: Per cent fewer travellers went through Kamloops Airport in the second quarter of 2025 compared to the same period last year.

1.1: Million people have already passed through Kelowna International Airport so far this year, roughly 80,000 more than the same period last year.

54: Per cent hotel occupancy in the South Okanagan for May, up two per cent from the same time last year.

62: Per cent hotel occupancy in North Thompson Okanagan for May, up 4.6 per cent from last year.

73: Per cent hotel occupancy in Kamloops for May, down 2.7 per cent from last year.

76: Per cent hotel occupancy in Kelowna for May, pretty much the same as last year.

4.6: Per cent decrease in visitors from the U.S. in B.C. as of April.

25: Per cent decrease in Canadian re-entries from the U.S. this past April compared to last year.

19.9: Per cent decrease in return trips to Canada by air from the US in April.

27: The percentage of Canadians polled in May who intended to travel to the US — down from 50 per cent the year prior

2.4: Billion dollar tourism industry in Kelowna.

38: Dollars cheaper to rent a hotel room in Kamloops versus Kelowna.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Jesse Tomas or call 250-488-3065 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw. Find our Journalism Ethics policy here.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here.

News from © iNFOnews, 2025