Victoria: October marked another strong month of growth for British Columbia’s tourism sector, with an increase in international visitors.
Statistics Canada reports a 6.1% increase in international overnight custom entries to the province over the same month last year, with 19,100 more visitors arriving in British Columbia. The total year-to-date international visitor arrivals are also up 3.2%, with B.C. welcoming 158,837 more visitors so far this year.
October typically represents about 5.7% of annual international overnight entries to the province. A spike in direct flights to the province, as well as B.C.’s global reputation as a beautiful destination, are contributing factors to the increase in visitors.
Notable increases for October (over October 2016) include:
* Brazil – up 69.5%
* South Korea – up 29.9%
* France – up 25.3%
* New Zealand – up 23.1%
* Southeast Asia – up 19.7%
* Germany – up 18.7%
* Switzerland – up 13.4%
* Australia – up 10.8%
* China – up 6%
* United States – up 7.4%
* Japan – up 2.4%
Notable increases for year-to-date visits include:
* Australia – up 21.7%
* Mexico – up 19.2%
* Brazil – up 15.6%
* Germany – up 15.1%
* Austria – up 8.7%
* China – up 6.2%
* Japan – up 4%
* France – up 3.2%
* Italy – up 3%
* New Zealand – up 2.8%
* United States – up 2.6%
* United Kingdom – up 1.3%
* Taiwan – up 1%
* Southeast Asia – up 0.8%
* South Korea – up 0.7%
Destination BC is an industry-led Crown corporation that works collaboratively with tourism stakeholders around the province to co-ordinate tourism marketing at the international, provincial, regional and local levels. It also supports regions, communities and Indigenous people in developing or expanding tourism experiences, businesses and jobs.
Quick Facts:
In 2015, the tourism sector:
* Employed 127,700 British Columbians
* Paid $4.5 billion in wages and salaries
* Supported nearly 19,000 tourism-related businesses in B.C.
* Contributed $7.4 billion toward the province’s gross domestic product
