Research shows value of tourism sector on the Island

It’s National Tourism Week and Destination BC has released new tourism profiles for tourism across the province.

“In 2022, travellers in the Vancouver Island tourism region were hosted by 2,700 tourism businesses and 26,300 tourism employees,” the profile for Vancouver Island states. “Collectively, the tourism industry generated $3.2 billion of gross spending in the region, accounting for approximately 18% of BC’s total overnight spending.”

The report looks at government investment in tourism on the Island, as well as how the sector has evolved over 10 years. The top source of visitors in 2023 were other residents of BC, at 50%, followed by Alberta (14%), Ontario (8%) and Washington (4%).

A 2024 survey found 85% of Island residents said tourism supports local business, though about 40% said summers bring “too many” tourists. That sentiment drops to 7% in fall, 9.3% in spring and 4.3% in winter.