The long-standing Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival is hitting a high note before musicians even get the chance to tune up their instruments on stage.

The 24th annual festival is a key tourism event in the Shuswap region and the Province has invested $68,000 to support the event. These funds are going towards marketing, festival billboards, tents and other requirements that help ensure the event continues to attract about 30,000 music fans annually from the region, elsewhere in the province and the United States.

This year’s Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival runs from Aug. 19-21. It’s featuring artists including Adrian Nation, Quartetto Gelato, Delhi to Dublin, Eric Bibb, Molly Tuttle Band, Sugar Brown, The New Orleans Suspects and David Gogo among many other performers. Organizers say that the festival has an estimated economic impact of $4.9 million annually for the Shuswap region.

Festivals and events such as the Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival are helping to drive strong tourism growth in B.C. in 2016. From January to May, 1,650,703 visitors came to our province, resulting in a 14% increase over the same period last year.

The Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Responsible for Labour has contributed $50,000 through the Tourism Events Program, and the BC Arts Council, which distributes funding on behalf of the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development, has provided $18,000.

Tourism supports approximately 19,000 businesses and 127,500 employees in B.C. and is a key sector in the BC Jobs Plan.

Quotes:

Greg Kyllo, Parliamentary Secretary for the BC Jobs Plan to the Minister of Jobs, Tourism, and Skills Training, and MLA for Shuswap –

“I’m looking forward to another amazing Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival. Tourism, arts and cultural events like these are not only great for fans of the arts – they also help build communities, promote culture, draw visitors and create year-round jobs in every region of our province. Tourism is a key sector in the BC Jobs Plan and a big reason why B.C. is leading the Canadian economy.”

David Gonella, festival director, 24th Annual Salmon Arm Roots & Blues Festival, Salmon Arm Folk Music Society –

“With the amazing support from the BC Arts Council and the Tourism Events Program, the Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival is able to continue its contribution to attracting out-of-province tourists to the Shuswap region. It’s this kind of support that’s helped the festival keep going for 24 years!" 

Quick Facts:

• The Province invests more than $98 million annually in the tourism industry across every region to grow and market the sector.
• The Province is also maintaining $60 million in funding for arts and cultural organizations as well as for individual artists in 2016-17. This includes $24 million through the BC Arts Council and about $17.5 million in community gaming grants.
• In 2014, the tourism industry generated $14.6 billion in revenue with a direct contribution to B.C.’s gross domestic product of $7.1 billion.
• In 2015, 4.9 million international visitors came to B.C. – an 8% increase compared to 2014.

Learn More:

For more information on the Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival: http://www.rootsandblues.ca/

BC Jobs Plan: http://www.bcjobsplan.ca/

To learn more about the Tourism Events Program: http://www.destinationbc.ca/BC-Tourism-Industry/Municipal-and-Regional-District-Tax-Program/Tourism-Events-Program.aspx

British Columbia Arts Council: https://www.bcartscouncil.ca/