First Event of 2016 Floats into BC Place

January 20^th, 2016

Boating enthusiasts from across the province are making their way to BC Place Stadium for the 2016 Vancouver International Boat Show!

The annual family-friendly event runs from January 20th to January 24th 2016 showcasing some of the newest boats and products in the boating industry, plus a wide range of seminars and information sessions to get you inspired! You won’t want to miss out on BC’s largest boating consumer show!

SHOW TIMES

Wednesday, Jan 20 – 10am to 8pm
Thursday, Jan 21 – 10am to 8pm
Friday, Jan 22 – 10am to 8pm
Saturday Jan 23 – 10am to 8pm
Sunday Jan 23 – 10am to 5pm

For FAQ regarding the Vancouver International Boat Show, please visit: www.vancouverboatshow.ca/show-info/faq/

2016 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season released!

January 7^th, 2016

Mark your calendars - the Vancouver Whitecaps FC are kicking off their 2016 season at BC Place on Sunday, March 6th against the Montreal Impact!

2015: A RECORD-BREAKING YEAR!
2015 was a thrilling year for the ‘Caps, setting club records for their best league finish (2nd in the Western Conference and 3rd overall) and highest points total (53). The team also finished 2015 as Voyagers Cup Champions, and hosted their first MLS Cup home playoff match at BC Place!

We look forward to welcoming this ‘record-breaking team’ back to BC Place Stadium in 2016!

Full 2016 schedule!

Single match tickets will go on sale on Thursday, February 18 at 10 a.m. PT.

2016 DATES TO LOOKOUT FOR!
March 6: The season opener against the Montreal Impact, set to kickoff at 2:30pm. In 2015, the Caps defeated the Impact 4-2 in the Canadian Championships match!
October 2: Whitecaps’ Cascadia rivals, the Seattle Sounders, will make a one-time appearance at BC Place this season.
May 28: Playoff rematch against defending MLS Cup champions Portland Timbers.

RECORD YEAR FOR TOURISM IN VANCOUVER: 9.4 million Visitors in 2015!

January 5^th, 2016

The latest visitor data provided by Destination BC projects that the 2015 overnight visitation numbers will exceed over nine million people - setting another new record for Metro Vancouver’s tourism industry. It is estimated that the tourism industry in BC’s largest city supports over 66,000 jobs, contributes approximately $1.6 billion in taxes, and generates direct visitor spending of around $3.5 billion annually.

BC PLACE DRAWS VISITORS TO BC

2015 was a spectacular year for BC Place. We hosted more than 1 million guests across a diverse range of local and international events, including the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015, Canada vs. Honduras 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Qualifying match, Taylor Swift, One Direction and AC/DC concerts, three of British Columbia’s largest consumer shows, a host of community and special events, and of course our two professional sports teams - the BC Lions and the Vancouver Whitecaps FC.

Hosting the provinces biggest events generates significant economic benefit to the province of British Columbia – especially when those events are viewed on a world stage. For example, the FIFA Women’s World Cup alone generated more than $118 million in economic impact in the province of BC!

FIFA WOMENS WORLD CUP MOTIVATED TRAVEL TO VANCOUVER

The FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada - hosted at BC Place Stadium from June 12 to July 5 - was a key contributor to the boost in Vancouver’s tourism industry in 2015. The month long tournament drew significant international visitation including teams and their supporters from the United States, Japan, England, Switzerland, Cameroon, Ecuador, Nigeria, and the Netherlands. Over 1.4 million overnight visitors traveled to British Columbia during June and July increasing monthly visitor numbers by more than 9% over 2014.

HOSPITALITY NUMBERS AT A GLANCE

The FIFA Women’s World Cup also boosted the province’s hospitality industry. Throughout the month of July, daily occupancy in Vancouver’s downtown hotels was above 90% (all except for five days). On July 5th, the day of the World Cup Final, downtown Vancouver’s hotel occupancy rates reached 99%!

In addition, the province’s restaurant industry experienced growth of 6.4% in June and 8.2% in July over 2014. Over the two months when Canada hosted the Women’s World Cup more than $1.7 billion was spent across the province according to restaurant receipts!

We’re excited to work with Tourism Vancouver and other partners in tourism to help make 2016 another outstanding year for our community!

See below for Tourism Vancouver’s full Provincial tourism indicators.

December 2015 - Provincial Tourism Indicators