Booking.com crowns Kelowna Canada's No. 1 destination for the summer

Kelowna's always been an awesome summer tourist hotspot.

But, it looks like summer 2025 is shaping up to be even more awesome.

Booking.com has ordained Kelowna the top trending Canadian destination for the summer based on accommodation searches on its massive international platform.

In fact, searches for hotels, resorts and vacation rentals in Kelowna for stays between June 1 and Aug. 31 on Booking.com are up 61% compared to the same period last year.

Now a search isn't necessarily a confirmed booking with solid plans by people to visit this summer.

But, it is a valid indication that Kelowna is definitely on the radar for summer vacays this year.

With the Canada-US trade war raging and Canadians deciding to holiday in their own country instead of America this summer, all destinations in the True North Strong and Free are expecting more home-grown visitors.

Kelowna has a distinct advantage in all this.

First of all, it's a perennial favourite for the so-called 'rubber tire' tourists, those that come here from elsewhere in BC and Alberta by car for fun and sun.

Kelowna also has non-stop flights to Saskatoon, Regina, Winnipeg, Toronto and Montreal, so domestic tourists can come here from further afield, too.

Now with the 'elbows up' travel trend more Canadians that may have never been to Kelowna before will give it a go and probably fall in love.

A bumper summer of tourism is exactly what Kelowna needs in 2025.

In summer 2024, tourism was a little soft in the city as the full impact of new, restrictive short-term rental (Airbnb) rules was felt, economic uncertainty caused some to stay away and others to shorten stays and spend less and fear of wildfires and smoke (which never materialized) scared some tourists off.

A Tourism Kelowna survey earlier this year revealed that 63% of Kelowna residents think there are too many tourists in the city in the summer.

Yet, 79% admit tourists are good for the economy and 75% feel tourism contributes to their quality of life.

So, definitely some contradictory sentiments there.

This summer Canadians are travelling for it all -- stunning scenery, lakes, mountains, golf, wine, dining, hiking, biking and city breaks.

Kelowna, the cosmopolitan city of 250,000, is well positioned on all fronts with 90-kilometre-long Okanagan Lake nestled between mountains, beaches and water sports galore, numerous golf courses, wineries and breweries, urban and wilderness hiking and biking trails, a burgeoning culinary scene and enticing hotels, resorts and campgrounds.

Tourism is one of Kelowna's largest economic generators with 2.2 million overnight visitors per year feeding into a $2.4 billion economic impact annually.

In fact, tourism is one of the city's top five industries along with construction-real estate, high technology, retail-wholesale-trade and agriculture-wine.

Based on Booking.com data, here are the top 10 trending Canadian destinations for the summer:

1. Kelowna

2. Canmore

3. Banff

4. Halifax

5. Calgary

6. Toronto

7. Vancouver

8. Quebec City

9. Montreal

10. Niagara Falls

The top 10 global destinations for Canadians for summer 2025:

1. Paris

2. Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt

3. Tokyo
4. Dubai

5. Bangkok

6. Alicante, Spain

7. Nice, France

8. Malaga, Spain

9. Rimini, Italy

10. Dubrovnik

Booking.com surveys also found:

- 72% of Canadian leisure travellers are excited about travel this summer

- 90% of Canadian families plan to travel at least once domestically this year

- 42% are prioritizing exploring natural landscapes

- 29% of Gen Z will be doing group getaways

- For those travelling in groups, 26% had friction over money, different interests and pace (slow walking vs. adventure and visiting one destination or several)

- The gift of travel, as opposed to physical presents, are prefered by 72% of Millennials, 74% of Gen Z and 69% of Boomers