Hosting the Today Show during the 2010 Winter Olympics in February has helped Grouse Mountain boost attendance this summer.
“International visitors’ awareness of Vancouver and Grouse Mountain has improved significantly based on the international exposure during the Olympics,” Grouse Mountain Resorts Ltd. manager of public relations William Mbaho told Business in Vancouver July 22.
“People know what activities are on Grouse Mountain. They’re booking in advance, e-mailing saying ‘I want to do that when I’m in town.’”
Demand for activities such as ziplining and for the adventure tourism sector generally is growing.
Nanaimo-based WildPlay opened its fourth B.C. location in Maple Ridge last week. Its Nanaimo, Victoria and Whistler locations also have ziplines. WildPlay co-owner Tom Benson told BIV that he expects his company to generate $3.5 million in revenue from drawing about 120,000 people in 2010.
David Udow and Charles Steele’s Ziptrek Ecotours, which operated the über-popular zipline across Robson Street during the Olympics, has also been growing fast.
It temporarily operated a zipline in San Francisco’s Embarkadero Square in April and is also a joint venture partner in a zipline operation in Queenstown, New Zealand. (See “2010 Games give local zipline operators global business boost” – Issue 1065; March 23-29, 2010)