Despite the current global economic chaos, the outlook for the 2025 tourism season remains positive, says the newly elected chair of the Okanagan Thompson Tourism Association board (TOTA).
Sandra Oldfield says spring and summer bookings across the industry are already up from last year.
"We think the tourism season will be strong because Americans will still be coming here and Canadians may also be staying closer to home such as what happened during the pandemic," Oldfield said.
In March, the number of Canadians returning home by car from the U.S. fell nearly 32 per cent compared to March 2024, the third consecutive month of year-over-year declines and the steepest plunge since the pandemic, according to Statistics Canada.
The backlash to tariffs combined with disparaging comments by U.S. President Donald Trump about Canada becoming the "51st state" have sparked resentment and anger from Canadians, reflected in fewer visits south of the border.
Oldfield has seen the reports on those and similar travel statistics and hopes that will translate into more Canadians checking out their own backyard, from coast to coast, to pursue vacation options.
As for Americans, while the value of the U.S. dollar is an enticing reason for them to visit Canada, she feels most Americans don't pay a lot of attention to that.
"Other factors attract them to Canada but they do understand when they get here their dollar can go further," Oldfield said.
While feelings of nationalistic pride have swept across Canada in the wake of Trump's actions and comments, she hopes American tourists will be welcomed to our country, as those personal interactions are intrinsic to the travel experience for all vacationers who descend on the region.
"There is no getting around how the last few months have been a bit crazy, but I've heard from the Maritimes talk about having elbows up and open arms in welcoming American tourists," she said.
"They are an important part of our tourism industry and we absolutely want them to come here."
Oldfield sees both sides of that relationship better than most as she immigrated to Canada from Sonoma, California, starting Tinhorn Creek Vineyards in Oliver with her husband in 1994, and has since become a Canadian citizen.
She says in the end, it is the personal relationships, the personal interactions, that make a vacation special for everyone who visits the Thompson Okanagan region looking for a memorable experience.
"When people spend the money to come here, for a trip of a lifetime...they want it to be memorable," she said.
Oldfield said TOTA remains committed to environmentally sustainable opportunities for tourists coupled with an emphasis on authentic Indigenous cultural experiences and will continue to foster a connection between different segments of the tourism industry to "make sure we are all singing from the same songsheet."
She said communication and shared marketing opportunities among tourism operators remain critical, given the industry's ability to pivot and be flexible in the face of changing economic situations, national and international political situations or a pandemic.
"Despite what is happening around us, people still want to venture out and visit other places and the tourism industry is extremely adaptable to meeting those needs where other industries may not be," she said.
Last summer, there was widespread recognition across the B.C. tourism industry that policy changes restricting the availability of short-term home rental for vacationers had a negative impact last summer, but she expects tourists will be prepared this year to adapt while some communities have adjusted those rules to better serve tourists' accommodation wishes.
While the focus of the tourism season tends to traditionally be June through August, Oldfield noted the shoulder months in the spring and fall are beginning to draw more interest.
"In the wine industry, we have found visitors are fewer in September and October but they tend to spend more money, and are seeing the numbers increasing in April and May, so tourism is becoming more spread out which is great to see," she said.
Oldfield also acknowledged the contribution of her predecessor as TOTA president, Michael Ballingall, executive vice-president of Big White Ski Resort, for being a promoter of tourism both in the region and throughout the province.
He has served on the TOTA board since 1997 and led TOTA for the past six years.
"He continues to be a great promoter of our industry but he is also very focused on aspects of tourism that need to be worked on for the benefit of all of us," she said.
Oldfield's involvement in tourism includes the Elysian Projects, a beverage and tourism consulting business. She created the Fortify Conference in 2018, helping artisan beverage producers better manage their businesses.
She is an executive-in-residence with Accelerate Okanagan and was named one of Canada's Top 100 Powerful Women in 2016.
