Breaking down B.C. Tourism by the numbers

May 26^th, 2019

B.C.’s tourism industry experienced record setting numbers last year, and the trend is continuing as businesses and destinations across B.C. have already enjoyed a busy first quarter and are anticipating more record results this summer.

B.C. Tourism By The Numbers

• Events at BC Place in 2018 generated more than $130 Million in total economic benefit in the province of British Columbia, with more than $25 million of that being contributed by visitors traveling to events from outside the province.
• In 2017, there were approximately 21.6 million overnight visitors in British Columbia who spent $12.3 billion.
• Over half of the visitors (53.0%) were BC residents. Visitors from other parts of Canada accounted for 21.1% of all visits and international visitors accounted for the remaining 25.9% of visitor volume.
• While BC residents made up the largest share of visitor volume, international visitors made up 44.9% of visitor expenditures. BC residents accounted for 28.9% of visitor expenditures and other Canadian residents accounted for the remaining 26.2%.
• In 2017, British Columbia’s tourism industry employed 137,800 people, a 3.6% increase from 2016. This means that tourism provides a job for roughly 1 out of every 16 people employed in the province.
• The tourism industry generated $5.4 billion in export revenue in 2017, growing 7.1% from 2016.
• GDP for the provincial economy as a whole grew 4.0% over 2016. The tourism industry contributed $9.0 billion of value added or GDP (in 2012 constant dollars) to the BC economy. This represents 6.7% growth over 2016 and 32.5% growth since 2007.
• British Columbia’s tourism industry generated revenue of $18.4 billion in 2017, an increase of 8.4% over 2016, and a 41.3% increase from 2007.
• In 2017, tourism contributed more to GDP than any other primary resource industry. (Mining: $4.9B, oil & gas: $3.7B, forestry & logging: $1.8B, and agriculture & fishing: $1.5B.)

For more provincial statistics on tourism industry performance, visit www.destinationbc.ca