Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s commitment to allow Mexicans visa-free access to Canada will fuel tourism and boost attendance at Whistler Blackcomb, Whistler Blackcomb Holdings CEO Dave Brownlie told the Vancouver Board of Trade January 15.
Former Prime Minister Stephen Harper imposed the visas in 2009 to try to reduce the number of Mexicans fleeing drug-crime violence by seeking asylum in Canada.
“Whistler was actually growing in leaps and bounds from the Mexican market prior to 2009 and that was then cut by over 50% the day the visa was announced,” Brownlie said.
“With [Trudeau’s] commitment, we see Mexico as a real growth opportunity for us.”
AeroMexico’s decision to launch daily non-stop red-eye flights between Vancouver and Mexico City is another factor that could spur increased travel between Mexico and Canada.
Other things Brownlie would like the federal government to do include negotiating air agreements to make air access easier to Vancouver and easing restrictions on hiring foreign workers.
Whistler Chamber of Commerce CEO Val Litwin echoed that sentiment.
Litwin stressed the importance of programs such as the working holiday program, which provides about 20% of the workers that Whistler needs.
The controversial temporary foreign worker program only accounts for about 2% of workers, he said.
Litwin then stressed the need for the federal government to do whatever it can to enable Whistler employers to hire more foreign workers, regardless of the program. This follows immigration to B.C. crashing to a 15-year low in 2015.
The tone of the event, however, was celebratory because, according to Brownlie, it was the 50th anniversary of the day that Whistler Mountain first opened to skiers in 1966.
“It all began with a group of businessmen, led by Franz Wilhelmsen, with the vision to host the Olympic Games,” he said.
After four attempts and 44 years, that dream came to reality in 2010.
Wilhelmsen and his partners formed the Garibaldi Lift Co. and set out to build a ski area on London Mountain, which was later named Whistler Mountain, Brownlie explained.
When Whistler opened in 1966, it had a four-person gondola, a two-person chairlift and two T-bars to transport skiers.
Success led to ski runs on Blackcomb Mountain opening in 1980.
Whistler-Blackcomb now draws more than two million winter visitors annually.
“No other resort in North America comes close to that scale,” Brownlie said.
So far this year, Whistler Blackcomb has seen a substantial jump in visitation thanks to great weather conditions and the low Canadian dollar. The company's share price (TSX:WB) hit an all-time high in late December.
