Photo caption: More tourists are arriving in B.C., report says
VICTORIA: The number of visitors from India to B.C. grew by 11.7 per cent in May this year compared to the same month last year.
That was the second highest increase for May behind Mexico's 29-per-cent boost. China came in third with a 10.2-per-cent increase.
The latest international visitor numbers continue to show positive increases, which is good news for British Columbia's flourishing tourism industry.
The number of overnight international visitors coming to British Columbia
grew significantly for the first five months of 2016, according to
Statistics Canada.
From January to May, 1,650,703 visitors came to the
province, resulting in a 14% increase over the same period last year.
In addition, 478,066 international visitors came to B.C. in May 2016, a 4.8%
increase compared to May 2015.
There were increases in visitors from a number of markets in May over the
same month in 2015, including:
* Mexico up 29%
* India up 11.7%
* China up 10.2%
* Europe up 5%
* United States up 4.9%
* Asia/Pacific up 2.3%
For the first five months of this year, visits from the U.S. were up almost
16% and visits from Mexico were up just over 38% over the same period last
year.
Increased air access and additional flights to Vancouver contributed to
growth from some countries. Each new daily international flight to Vancouver
International Airport (YVR) creates between 150 and 200 new jobs at the
airport, plus more jobs in B.C.'s hotels, tourism attractions and
businesses.
The new flights are thanks in part to a 2012 jet fuel tax that
was eliminated by government to reduce costs for airlines and to give
travellers more choice.
Provincial tourism growth has also been helped by the low Canadian dollar,
along with Destination BC's new international marketing strategy.
Another factor for the exceptional growth in tourism in B.C. is Aboriginal
tourism. It is one of the fastest-growing tourism areas in the province. It
experienced a doubling of revenue from $20 million to $42 million
(2006-2012).
In addition, there are more than 300 Aboriginal tourism
businesses in B.C. This exceeds the BC Jobs Plan target of 300 Aboriginal
owned tourism businesses by 2017.
Quick Facts:
* The tourism industry is helping fuel the provincial economy, which is
expected to lead the country in economic growth in 2016 and 2017.
* Tourism supports approximately 19,000 businesses and 127,500 employees in
B.C. and is a key sector in the BC Jobs Plan.
* The Province invests more than $90 million annually in the tourism sector
across every region to grow and market the sector.
* In 2015, 4.9 million international visitors came to B.C., an 8% increase
compared to 2014.
