Revelstoke businesses prepare for summer 2025 tourism boom

International tension, an “elbows up” summer and volatile trade relations are already starting to impact Revelstoke’s summer 2025 tourism. 

Destination BC and other tourism organizations are projecting a high tourism summer for the region, largely driven by Canadian tourists, and aided by international travelers choosing Canada over the U.S. 

As the season starts to ramp up, local businesses are readying for the potential swell while focusing on providing for a community that will stick around through thick and thin.

Among Revelstoke’s new addition, Neighbourhood Sports, and staples like Flourish Bakery and  Magpie & Larch, here are a few local businesses to frequent this summer.

Staying active

Skookum Cycle’s Neighbourhood Sports has a new home in time for some summer adventures, with the sports gear and apparel store moving into the former home of Free Spirit Sports.

“We’ve always had the itch to try and do other categories, and this has really opened the door for us to step more into the community sports space,” Harrison Salisbury, Skookum Bike and Ski and Neighbourhood Sports manager told Revelstoke Mountaineer.

With frisbee golf, soccer and baseball gear already filling up the store and plans for Nordic skiing to be front and centre come winter, Neighbourhood Sports is aiming to keep residents in town for all their sporting goods needs. Revelstoke might seem to have an abundance of outdoor activity stores in town, but Salisbury still sees a couple of gaps.

“Especially for younger players and needing that one bit of gear that’s maybe gotten lost or needs a replacement. Now you can stop here before heading to a game instead of having to make a special trip or order,” he said

Though Neighbourhood Sports’ focus is on the community, staff are already starting to see the trickle of summer tourists pushing traffic. Frisbee golf especially has been a focus for those visiting town for an extra couple of days.

“I came in an hour and a half after we opened this morning, and my front staff told me they hadn’t spoken to a single Canadian yet. So, we’re 100 per cent seeing that tourism bit that’s being talked about,” he said.

While guest spikes the last couple of summers have been driven in part by natural disasters and international strife could be the fuel for this summer, Salisbury expects Revelstoke to continue putting positive spin on less-than-cheerful situations.

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“Revelstoke’s in this unique position to sort of invite those people into our community and show them what we have. Hopefully that builds lasting relationships with those people that might not otherwise have come here.”

Being a newer business means an easier shift to finding more Canadian distributors and sellers, with Neighbourhood Sports able to test things out and explore instead of having to pivot away from decade-old partnerships and customer expectations, Salisbury explained

“Right now, we’re in a very lucky spot where we can decide where we’re going to go. If we feel like certain brands or product offerings aren’t possible because of certain things that are happening in the world, then we don’t have to stay that route.”

While the team is still getting settled into the new space, Neighbourhood Sports has wasted no time in giving back to the community, already planning to sponsor frisbee golf events in Revelstoke throughout the summer and work with Revelstoke’s minor hockey teams come winter.

Cooling down

Saying goodbye to a beloved space at Alchemy Studios and moving to the edges of Revelstoke’s downtown has been a leap of faith that so far has paid off for Flourish Bakery’s Stephanie Palmer and her team.

“We wanted to create a community hub. With this location, it’s just satisfying being not on the main strip and not too far out. Just being in between,” Palmer told Revelstoke Mountaineer. 

The Goldilocks spot has already provided ample foot traffic while still maintaining a calmer space for those looking for a relaxing work and social space. It’s also given the Flourish team a chance to try things out, change things up and keep testing what they want the space to be.

For front-of-house manager Reigan Drummond, it’s given him a fresh canvas to explore with the new role and growing team.

“We’re looking into getting a liquor license and extending our evening hours. Building a food menu that showcases gluten-free cooking and that it can taste good. And just being that space for folks.” 

Having previously worked at Dose Coffee, Drummond is a little more hesitant to what treasures a high tourism season could provide, pointing out that previous factors that quickly spiked Revelstoke’s tourism numbers, such as wildfires, are here to stay and Revelstoke needs to assess whether it has the infrastructure to deal with noticeably larger tourist numbers.

“I don’t know if it’s possible for us to ever catch up now, I think that will be ever-evolving,” Drummond said. “But it does mean Revelstoke is more than capable of supporting another space like ours.”

A growing spotlight on Revelstoke’s coffee scene could also boost the town’s profile in the coming years, with local roasters and coffee shops starting to attract attention for the quality of coffee Revelstoke is producing. Pair that with a food scene Drummond says exceeds visitor expectations and Revelstoke could see itself in a new spotlight. Flourish wants to take that momentum and put local creators and talents front and centre. Already working with Alpine Echo to bring artwork into the space, there are growing plans to also feature B.C. wineries, local crafters, regional goods and more.

“We want to be a spot for our locals. We’ve already had so many return and make us their spot. Having the tourists just gets to be an added bonus at that point,” Palmer said.

Digging into Revelstoke’s 2025 summer

Christine Nielsen has been helping shape Revelstoke’s gardens for 20 years with her business Magpie & Larch, starting off as a landscape designer and maintenance and slowly transitioning to a focus on sales and consulting at her garden centre in the Big Eddy. Decades of experience helps her guide folks anywhere in their garden journey, but once piece remains the same across the board.

“You have to really envision what it’s going to look like five years down the road when things really grow in,” Nielsen told Revelstoke Mountaineer, explaining that sometimes people overplan and overplant in their excitement to see immediate results.

While sometimes trends take hold and homeowners get caught up in the “what’s hot now,” Nielsen has one tip for those looking to use Revelstoke’s 2025 summer to update their garden and yard spaces.

“Focus on creating a living space within the garden – maybe creating an outdoor room, a place you’re going to relax and spend time just enjoying your work.”

When and why you use the space can help direct what to plant, with Nielsen using an evening space as an example to focus on flowering plants that are more active and scented during twilight hours and lighting that can keep a space inviting and usable once Revelstoke’s days start to grow shorter again.

“If you can really extend how long you can stay outside, using a space even into winter a bit you’ll care for it that much more.”

It’s another tip she recommends for all gardeners, home owners and those looking to work outside; make sure you spend time working on the space. Over the years Nielsen has seen various customers create large gardens, grand spaces and then not dedicate the time needed to care for them. Weeding, mulching, watering and general maintenance need to be considered for each gardening and outdoor project.

“You need to want to spend time outside working on these spaces so they can keep growing and giving back.”

There’s still a struggle to source and sell native plants for the region, with Magpie & Larch instead focusing on plants that can cohabit with the regional climate and natural fauna. Over the years she’s seen a focus on Bear Aware and FireSmart programs and how that’s shaping properties around Revelstoke.

“They all kind of overlap each other and we have the customer interest. So, it has become something we’ve worked to offer,” Nielsen said.
Whether you’re looking to pick up some seeds for a vegetable bed, some new ground cover to help shape your outdoor spaces or simply looking for some advice on how to make your current space thrive, Nielsen invites you to come down to the garden centre and reach out on her website.