2016 continues to be a strong year for tourism in the province.
Between January – September, there were nearly 500,000 more visitors to British Columbia than the same time period last year. That’s an 11.9% boost.
With winter attractions and a low Canadian dollar, Tourism Minister Shirley Bond believes these numbers keep climbing during the colder months.
“British Columbia is gaining an incredible reputation for example for skiing, snowmobiling, those kinds of things so we’re hopeful that that trend will continue into the winter.”
The biggest jump in tourists are from South Korea (up 44.6% from September 2015), China (up 32.2%), and Mexico (up 28.2%). Destination BC’s new international marketing campaigns and the added air access to Vancouver are major factors for growth. Bond believes the 11% jump in American tourists is a result of more ads geared towards Washington, Oregon, and California residents.