BEAUTIFUL AND BUSY BC tourism numbers up

Posted on 11/26/2015 | About British Columbia

British Columbia was a popular tourist destination in 2015, with the Tourism Industry Association of BC describing the numbers as nothing short of staggering.

Association executive director Walt Judas says visits to some parts of the province were up as much as 15 percent. He says not every region was record setting, but the major centres of Metro Vancouver, Vancouver Island and the Thompson-Okanagan had a very good year. Judas says sunny, hot weather that began in May and continued through September helped boost tourism to the province.

He also credits a rebound in the US economy for unleashing a pent-up demand for travel, while many BC residents enjoyed so-called “staycations,” joining tourists from Alberta in exploring the province. Tourism experts anticipate another good year in 2016, but Judas says it will be hard to repeat this year's strong performance.