New data underscores that B.C. is having a boom year for tourism despite a resurgent Canadian dollar and cool, wet weather during the spring.
Earlier, anecdotal reports from tourism officials and business owners were that B.C. was having a decent summer for tourism despite weeks of wildfires raging in the province’s interior and thick smoke obscuring mountain views in Metro Vancouver.
Destination British Columbia broke down Statistics Canada numbers to reveal that 5.3% more people visited B.C. overnight in June than came to the province overnight in June 2016.
Brazilians led the way, in terms of growth, with a 37.9% increase in visits, followed by Germans with 31% growth and Aussies who flocked to B.C. 26% more in June than they did in the same month a year ago.
Destination British Columbia CEO Marsha Walden referred to those markets as “high-value, long-haul international markets.”
B.C.’s 5.3% growth rate for international visitors in June is higher than the province’s 4.1% increase in overnight international-visitor counts during the first half of 2017, but it pales in comparison with loftier Canada-wide numbers.
There were 7.9% more international visitors who stayed overnight in Canada during June 2017, compared with the same month a year ago, according to Statistics Canada.
The national increase in overnight international visitors during the first half of 2017 also outpaced B.C., as 6.2% more visitors came to see the country celebrate its 150th birthday between January and June than did the same thing a year ago.
“In some parts of the province, the wildfires have taken a toll on the summer tourism season,” said B.C.’s Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Lisa Beare.
“However, as we start rebuilding this vital industry, it's reassuring to know that June offered positive results.”
The increase in international visitors in June also coincided with a rising Canadian dollar. The loonie was worth less than US$0.73 in early May, and it quickly spiked to be worth more than US$0.80 briefly in late July. The dollar has since hovered in the US$0.785 range.
U.S. visitors, at 64.2% of all international visitors who stayed overnight in B.C., were by far the most numerous international visitors and their numbers have climbed about 4.8% year over year in June.
One explanation for why visits from Australia and Germany are up significantly in June, compared to the same month a year ago, is that there are more non-stop flights.
B.C.’s Ministry of Tourism Arts and Culture said Germany and Australia saw increases in air capacity to British Columbia in June of 37.8% and 20.4%, respectively, compared with the same month a year ago.
Much of the increase in access to Germany comes from non-stop Air Canada flights between Vancouver and Frankfurt, which launched on June 1.
The rise in Australian visits could be linked with new Air Canada non-stop flights between Vancouver and Brisbane, Australia, which launched late last year and are operating year-round.
No non-stop flights yet link Vancouver with Brazil so it is unclear why so many more Brazilians decided to visit B.C. this year.
News about international visitor counts to B.C. in June follows a report on the weekend that BC Ferries is on track for its highest ever traffic volume this year.
Overnight custom entries to B.C. and Canada
Source: Destination British Columbia
