How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
So goes the first line of British poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning's famous Sonnet 43 from 1845.
The enduring poem popped into my head as I read the news release from Tourism Kelowna about the 6th annual 'Love for Kelowna Day', which is today -- Saturday, Sept. 27.
And if we count the ways we love Kelowna the list is indeed lengthy.
The lake, the weather, the mountains, gulping fresh air, hiking, biking, beaching, picnicking, golfing, skiing, strolling the boardwalk, frolicking in a canyon, wine tasting, apple picking, shopping, grabbing a coffee, slurping a beer, talking in a concert or sitting down for a bite to eat in a lively restaurant.
Tourism Kelowna invented 'Love for Kelowna Day' during the height of the pandemic in 2020 to align with the United Nations' 'World Tourism Day' and spotlight all the tourism experiences our city has to offer as well as how important tourism is economically and socially.
A total of 2.2 million overnight tourists visit Kelowna annually and the economic impact is $2.4 billion.
Tourism Kelowna also buys into the 2025 theme of 'World Tourism Day' -- tourism and sustainable transformation, highlighting tourism's metamorphic potential as an agent of positive change.
Whew, that's a lot of pressure to put on tourism.
But, it's true.
Tourism shapes what Kelowna is today -- a beautiful, desirable place where people want to live, work, play, visit, raise a family, retire and invest in a life, a home, a future.
“A strong visitor economy stems from a strong local foundation,” said Lisanne Ballantyne, CEO of Tourism Kelowna.
“While visitors help spark growth, it is the local residents who keep the economy moving year-round, showcasing the city to visiting friends and family, attending major events, and returning again and again to neighbourhood favourites. Love for Kelowna Day is a celebration of all that makes our city such an amazing place to live, work, and play.”
As previously mentioned, there are endless ways for locals and tourists alike to take part in 'Love for Kelowna Day'.
Tourism Kelowna recommends revisiting a favourite local shop or restaurant, pop into a local business that you've always walked by and meant to go into, but never did, do a fall bucket-listing activity like picking fruit or cycling the Myra Canyon, parasailing over Okanagan Lake or taking an epic hike.
On the website TourismKelowna.com are listed more than 20 local businesses offering speical packages, promotions and activities for 'Love for Kelowna Day'.
They include Western Canyoning Adventure (donning a wetsuit and helmet to rappel down rock faces, zipline over a waterfall and jump and slide in natural pools), Okanagan ATV Tours, free beer at The Hatching Post, wine tastings and date night at the Sandman Hotel.
You can drop by the Kelowna Visitor Centre at 238 Queensway Ave. for more inspiration, get 20% off Love for Kelowna apparel and enter the draw for the Love for Kelowna gift based valued at more than $140.
For a chance to win a prize pack worth more than $800 you are encouraged to share your Love for Kelowna sentiments and activities on your socials with #loveforkelowna.
The responsible tourism collaborative network RE:BC, which Kelowna belongs to, and BC Bird Trail are also jumping on the 'World Tourism Day' bandwagon.
RE:BC, which also counts Prince George, Sun Peaks, Langford, Parksville, Qualicum Beach, Revelstoke, the Southern Gulf Islands and Squamish among its members, urges you to make all your activities sustainable, more intentional and place-connected.
The BC Bird Trail is inviting people to experience World Tourism Day -- and the rest of the year -- through the lens of birdwatching.
The trail touts birdwatching as inclusive, low-impact, community-building a fun way to appreciate eco-systems.
