A rise in international visits to B.C. in August is encouraging news for marketers at B.C. ski resorts.
Overnight entries from the U.S. jumped 7.2% in August compared with the same month in 2011, according to Statistics Canada. Total international overnight entries to B.C. in August were 6% above August 2011.
The strong numbers come as the Canadian dollar holds its own against the U.S. greenback and gas prices have been comparatively high. Both are factors that would normally weigh on tourist visits.
The news follows Tourism B.C.’s launch of ski marketing campaign that included having Olympic gold medallist skier Ashleigh McIvor and tourism minister Pat Bell simulate a ski race in a glass-walled truck parked in downtown Toronto.
It also follows news last week that readers of Ski Magazine had voted Whistler-Blackcomb as the number-one ski resort in North America.
“By continuing to work with industry partners on projects like our recently released ‘Ski it to believe it’ campaign, I’m confident we’ll see tremendous growth in this important industry for years to come,” said Bell.
@GlenKorstrom
