Tourists love B.C.

tourists-british-columbia-tourism

Tourists pose for a picture.
Photo by Mark van Manen/The Vancouver Sun

Tourists love B.C. – Level 3
Adapted from The Vancouver Sun and The Province
by Nila Gopaul

B.C. is beautiful.
And the world is noticing.
In fact, tourism in B.C is up
39 per cent since 2001.

In 2014, there were about
nine million overnight stays
in Metro Vancouver.
In 2016, tourists may bring
$18 billion to the B.C. economy.

Tourists
Most tourists to B.C. come from the U.S.
But now there are many visitors
from the U.K., Australia, China,
Japan, South Korea, India,
Mexico, Brazil and Germany.

Why are there more tourists?

  • B.C.’s natural environment
  • New tourism marketing (see video above)
  • New international flights
  • More cruise ship traffic
  • A stronger U.S. economy
  • A weak Canadian dollar

Top spenders*

  • South Korean visitors spent more than
    other tourists, about $1300 per person per visit.
  • Japanese visitors spent $1,039.55 per visit,
  • Hong Kong tourists at $925.12 per visit,
  • Mainland Chinese at $913.61 per visit, and
  • Mexicans at $853.36 per visit.

*According to Stats Canada