Tourism in Kamloops:
An Industry Snapshot

Kamloops is a popular destination for tourists year round. The mild climate and beautiful natural setting make it ideal for outdoor recreation enthusiasts as opportunities abound for world-class hiking, mountain biking and skiing. The world-renowned Sun Peaks Resort. Harper Mountain and over 200 lakes are located within an hour of the downtown core. The city itself boasts 82 parks, modern fitness facilities, skating arenas, tennis courts, baseball diamonds, soccer fields, and swimming pools. There is also a thriving arts community with live theatre, galleries, museums and a symphony orchestra.

The City’s Business Operations and Events Section is responsible for ensuring all sport, cultural, and community events are delivered as smoothly as possible in a way that is engaging and inclusive. While enhancing the health and wellness of citizens and highlighting the many positive attributes the community possesses, the team builds on the Canada’s Tournament Capital brand to attract new and exciting tournaments, deliver expert service, and support our grassroots programs. Throughout 2019, the team supported individuals, non-profits, and private groups through 240+ events that took place in City facilities.

TOURNAMENT CAPITAL EVENTS AT A GLANCE - 2021
Total number of events: 13
Out-of-town participants: 3,739
Economic impact: $1.3 Million

Competitive Advantages

A Growing Sector

Tourism in Kamloops is growing and has an increasingly important role in the local economy. 2019 welcomed 1.9 M visitors with a spending of $303 M. A 6% revenue growth, representing a $500 M economic impact.

Sports Facilities

Kamloops is a proven location for hosting tournaments and events with close to $50 million invested in new and renovated sports facilities.

Tournament Capital Centre

A 135,000 sq. ft multi-sport facility which includes:

  • A 200 metre, six lane indoor track, specialty designed jumps and throws area
  • 15,000 sq. ft of gymnastics space
  • Three hardwood courts for basketball, volleyball, badminton and other court activities
  • 8,000 sq. ft of public fitness rooms
  • 3,000 sq. ft of public meeting rooms space for athletic conditioning and training

Sandman Centre

Built on the shores of the South Thompson River, easy access to Riverside Park, and only two blocks from the downtown core, the centre has a seating capacity of 6,400 and almost 20,000 square feet of exhibition space.

Riverside Park

Variety Kids Centennial Water Park
Tennis and Pickleball courts
Swimming
Lawn Bowling

McArthur Island Park

MacArthur Island Park is a 51 hectare island with multiple sports facilities and parks, located on the north bank of the Thompson River. The facility includes:

  • Kamloops Skatepark
  • McArthur Island Sports and Events Centre
  • McArthur Island Youth Centre
  • Tennis Courts
  • LawnBowling
  • Canada Games Ball Field (12)
  • Soccer (9 pitches) & fieldhouse
  • Xeriscape and Butterfly Garden
  • Bike and walking paths
  • Boat launch
  • Lawn Bowling
  • Norbrock Stadium
  • Canada Games Ball Field
  • Soccer (9 pitches)
  • 17 baseball diamonds
  • McArthur Island Golf Course
  • Xeriscape Demonstration Garden

Charles Anderson Stadium

Includes well maintained baseball fields, tennis courts, a soccer pitch and plenty of free parking. The facilities at the park include two lit diamonds with 375 seating each, announcers building/media centre, concession/storage/dressing room facilities, two additional full-size diamonds (300ft>), soccer field and three outdoor tennis courts.

Kamloops Tennis Centre

Eight outdoor courts, five of which are lit, and five indoor courts under the bubble in winter.

Lifestyle

Kamloops has a vast landscape with plenty of room in which to play and engage in an array of recreational opportunities, all while enjoying over 2,000 hours of sunshine annually. Housing is affordable and the cost of doing business is competitive, plus the area boasts exceptional schooling options and healthcare services. Employee retention is high in Kamloops with employees citing an affordable, quality of life in the region as a major plus.

Incentives for the Tourism Industry

Tournament Capital Grants

The Tournament Capital Grant, provided by the City of Kamloops, is eligible to all amateur sports organizations. The maximum allocation of funds is $500 for a Provincial Tournament, $1,000 for a Western Canadian Tournament, $1,500 for a National Tournament and $1,500 for an Invitational Tournament. More information

PacificSport Grants

The PacificSport Travel Grant gives financial aid to athletes and coaches travelling for training and competitions. More information

Tourism Resources

Canada’s Tournament Capital Program Support

The City of Kamloops has support services from dedicated City staff that assist in bringing tournaments and sporting events to Kamloops. More Information

Tourism Kamloops Accommodation Directory

Access all accommodation information from motels and inns to hotels and B&B’s. More Information

Tourism Organizations

Tourism Kamloops

Tourism in Kamloops is growing and has an increasingly important role in the local economy. 2019 welcomed 1.9 M visitors with a spending of $303 M. A 6% revenue growth, representing a $500 M economic impact. More Information

Tourism Industry Association of B.C. (TIABC)

The Tourism Industry Association of BC (TIABC) advocates for the interests of British Columbia’s $22.3 billion visitor economy (normalized year). As a not-for-profit tourism industry association, TIABC works collaboratively with its members – private sector tourism businesses, industry associations and destination marketing organizations – to ensure the best working environment for a competitive tourism industry. More Information

Wilderness Tourism Association (WTA)

The BC Wilderness Tourism Association was born out of a need to have an organization that would be focused on land use issues faced by nature based tourism operators. It has its roots in a previous organization called the “Wilderness Tourism Council” a group who represented approximately 850 nature based businesses during the 1980’s. Today, the WTA works to improve communications between tourism operators, governments and other industry sectors with respect to wilderness conservation and access to wilderness tourism opportunities. More Information

Testimonial

“Kamloops rocks as the place to live! It’s a place that is engaged in healthy living and activity. With the amazing world-class facilities and coaching, Kamloops continues to produce many high performance athletes to the world stage in their respective sports. With the assistance of PacificSport, Canadian Sport Centre Pacific and the many other partners we believe Kamloops offers many benefits for our stakeholders.”

- Carolyn Boomer, General Manager, PacificSport Interior B.C.

Please Contact Venture Kamloops for additional information or build your own customized report with our Report Builder.