Lara Barlow, country manager for Travelzoo Canada, tells us that 83% of Canadians are traveling this year, and a survey says 51% of those who are travelling within Canada plan to visit BC and 32% plan to visit Vancouver specifically.
Canadians overwhelmingly prefer beach vacations. Barlow says, “Typically, when people opt for a beach vacation, they know that they may have to sacrifice some of the benefits that come with visiting a major city like restaurants and shopping. When you visit Vancouver, however, you can have it all. There are few places where you can surf, golf and ski in the same day. Then you can cap off an epic day by sampling the city’s burgeoning food scene. Signature restaurants from celebrity chef Vikram Vij and James Beard House guest chef David Hawksworth call the city home. ”
And when it comes to American tourists visiting, it just makes good dollars and sense. “There’s an abundance of hotels, ranging from boutique Yaletown to swank by the waterfront. American tourists can exercise retail therapy on Robson Street, where high-end designers, department stores and retail icons abound. Stop into Holt Renfrew, go super luxe at Gucci and Tiffany’s or hunt for fashion staples at Club Monaco and Banana Republic.”
Things to do in Vancouver? “You can spend the day at Stanley Park, an urban oasis featuring beaches, restaurants, trails and Canada’s largest aquarium. The Seawall, the world’s longest uninterrupted waterfront path, is perfect for the biking enthusiast or leisurely walker”, she tells us.
“We find that Americans love Vancouver. It is the fourth most searched Canadian destination on our US website. Interest in Vancouver has increased 38% among our US members, year over year – according to searches done during the last week of May 2015 & 2016.”
According to statistics from the Canada Border Services Agency, U.S. travellers across B.C.’s borders have been increasing since 2012.
In April of that year there were 196,000 visits while for April 2016, there were 226,000.
American visits to B.C. in April:
- 2013: 175,000.
- 2014: 184,000.
- 2015: 196,000.
- 2016: 226,000.
Also, according to Tourism Vancouver, U.S. visitors to Vancouver in February (most recent data available) reached 159,287, an increase of 15% year over year.
