FOCUS OF EFFORT
Our key objective is to build a strong online presence that helps people discover the Similkameen Valley as a visitor destination, a touring route (via BC Scenic Highway 3 / Crowsnest Highway), and a service hub for those passing through. Ultimately, the consumer-facing website becomes the official source of information about the Similkameen Valley, including the local businesses that form its tourism industry.
With the growing use of AI in search, it is also important to consider how both AI systems and human users access and interpret content for relevance. This informs how we structure and optimize website content moving forward.
We encourage all businesses to keep their free business listings up to date by contacting us with any changes.
The Similkameen Valley Planning Society is a participant in the Destination BC Cooperative Funding program to promote routes and corridors to domestic markets through two brands: Similkameen Valley and Cruise the Crowsnest (Scenic Highway 3).
Key marketing focus of effort for the Similkameen Valley brand:
- Increase awareness and interest in the Similkameen Valley (Captivate)
- Inspire travel through compelling content for trip planning (Activate)
- Direct referrals to tourism businesses (Generate)
- Encourage sharing of experiences (Advocate)
- Unified theme “Linger Longer”
2026 Focus of Effort to March 31, 2027
- Similkameen Valley Agriculture Strategy SCDA – ETSI-BC Grant
- Photo shoot partnership with SVPS, SCDA, Town of Princeton
- Update maps and print for 2026 pad maps (two-year supply)
- Similkameen Valley Farm Trail Route Map, history, culture, murals, walking tour maps
- Blog Series: History, culture, murals, self-guided walks
- Website Section Updates: New imagery from photoshoot, Events, Our Story, all communities, accessibility, EV, accommodation, tours, pet-friendly, site-wide review (Things to do, Stay, Plan)
- Email marketing 4 consumer newsletters
- Business Directory (website) updates
- Digital audit and readiness (best practices review) and SEO
- Social Media (Facebook & Instagram)
- Seasonal digital campaigns (META & GDN)
- Delivery of Travel Experiences Guide 2026 and 2027
- Industry website update and newsletter
- Brand alignment review with DBC brands and Destination Canada market segments
- Analysis and report of DBC research 2024 and 2025 RDOS visitor data
Review to March 31, 2026
Our activities for the Similkameen Valley brand from April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026 included consumer website content (refreshed images, written content, adding and updating business listings, updating online maps, improved user experience), new weddings page, feature stories about our 3 anchor brand statements (Princeton) Bronze Sculpture Capital of Canada, (Keremeos) Fruit Stand Capital of Canada, and (Cawston) Organic Farming Capital of Canada, expressed through our Agriculture Story and two new self-guided touring routes; Similkameen Valley Farm Trail and Sip the Similkameen with corresponding online maps. New content also included travel inspiration blogs, seasonal highlights, inclusion and responsible travel, and weekly updates to the events page, plus website SEO and user experience updates. We will continue email marketing (four-seasonal newsletters), the 2026 Annual Print Guide (with Black Press), paid Social Media campaigns on META and Google Search, and focus on content for our Social Media channels, Facebook and Instagram.
In addition to dedicated Similkameen Valley micro-campaigns, we partner with the Crowsnest Tourism Alliance (Hope to Christina Lake).
Our markets continue to be focused primarily in BC (90%), with the secondary market of Alberta (10%).
The website requires ongoing updates with copy editing, new blogs, seasonal image changes, and back-end updates with technology upgrades to improve the user experience and search engine optimization. Organic search continues to be the number one source of website traffic, with the majority of users being new. This has been a consistent pattern for years, although AI research results are now a factor. The winter homepage will be displayed Dec-March annually, and the summer homepage with video displays March-Nov. The home page highlights a link to the current seasonal blog.
The Events page is maintained throughout the year and we encourage submissions so we can promote local events that inspire travel to the area.
core marketing activities – Manning Park to Cawston
The primary emphasis is on spring and fall travel, with summer and winter as the secondary seasons, but there is still capacity in all four seasons. The unifying theme of “Linger Longer” promotes slow travel with the intent to stay longer to learn more about the history, culture, and unique natural features that provide the rural experiences in outdoor recreation and agriculture (produce, wine, cider, spirits, and farm-to-table). The stories that anchor our brand are developed to showcase the meaning behind them and the history of them, while featuring the locals who contribute to those stories. The localized digital campaigns will feature the Similkameen Valley as a travel destination for close-in markets from the Okanagan corridor, Lower Mainland/Fraser Valley, and Calgary, in alignment with our visitor seasonality, visitor research, and the provincial goal of geographic and seasonal dispersion.
Core marketing activities align with the Similkameen Valley brand through photography, video, banners, consumer research, website similkameenvalley.com, Facebook and Instagram social media, Email Marketing, digital campaigns, print and online maps, and the official travel experience guide in partnership with Black Press.
Review the annual report highlights.
Consumer Travel Messaging
We monitor and comply with the Destination BC consumer messaging guidelines to support changing conditions due to health, climate, or other events, to support the tourism industry.
We link to the official sources for BC travel advisories and add customized messaging if there is a need to alert people about current travel conditions for the Similkameen Valley. Refer to the top header on the consumer website under Current Travel Information. If there is any special messaging you need us to communicate contact us at support@similkameenvalley.com
Cruise the Crowsnest – Hope to Christina Lake
The Crowsnest Tourism Alliance maintains the Cruise the Crownest digital campaign microsite to promote the corridor from Hope to Christina Lake. It is an alliance of the Similkameen Valley Planning Society (with the Similkameen Independent Winegrowers), Destination Osoyoos, Boundary Country Tourism, Hope, Cascades and Canyons, and Manning Park Resort.
HISTORICAL PROJECTS
HIGHWAY 3 – Hope to ELKFORD
The Highway 3 Tourism Alliance, financed through grant funding, was an initiative of the three tourism regions Thompson Okanagan, Kootenay Rockies, and Vancouver Coast & Mountains in support of tourism growth and visitation along Highway 3 from Hope to Elkford. The project is complete, with the Hwy 3 website still live.
Destination BC promotes the Similkameen Valley and Highway 3 nationally and internationally, and as part of the Rainforest to Rockies one section of the Roadtrip features Hwy 3 from Hope to Cranbrook. The Lower Similkameen Valley is also featured in the Valleys and Vineyards brand.
HISTORY – SPECIAL FUNDING PROJECTS
ONE-TIME PROJECTS WITH EXTRA FUNDING IN 2021
In addition to supporting our core marketing activities through the Destination BC Co-Op Funding Program, Destination BC provided additional funds in 2021.
Destination BC granted community tourism funds to support additional activities given the COVID-19 global pandemic. Additional projects completed in 2021 included: Tourism Marketing Plan, social media strategy, this online industry resource website, three photoshoots (summer, fall, and winter), new content for the website including the introduction of a BLOG series, website user experience audit, and re-structure, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), updating over 200 new images, copywriting/editing, two rotating home page versions summer and winter and business directory updates and digital channel print cards.
SIMILKAMEEN VALLEY TOURISM MARKETING STRATEGY
The Similkameen Valley 2021/22 Marketing Strategy has been followed where possible in alignment with PHO orders. Review the Executive Summary or read the full report. The key marketing strategy is story-telling through research-based content creation.
We encourage you to think about shoulder-season and winter tourism, as some people will still want to travel closer to home, despite the lifting of travel restrictions.
Contact Simone Carlysle-Smith, Tourism Services Provider for more information support@similkameenvalley.com
