Visitors are spending over $6.3 million a year in the 亚洲天堂 Lake area, according to a new study by the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako (RDBN) and their partners.
In 2016, the RDBN partnered with the Villages of 亚洲天堂 Lake, Fraser Lake, Granisle and Telkwa, the Districts of Houston, Vanderhoof and Fort St. James, Tourism Smithers, and Northern B.C. Tourism to complete a 鈥榲alue of tourism鈥� report.
The report found that approximately 250,400 people visit the Bulkley-Nechako region annually, spending an average of $58.6 million.
鈥淲ith 250,400 visitors spending $58 million annually in the Bulkley-Nechako, tourism is a major contributor to the regional economy,鈥� said Bill Miller, RDBN Chair.
However, when presented with the study, the RDBN board pointed out that the study does not offer a comparison between past and present numbers. Therefore it is unclear if tourism numbers have increased or decreased over the past few years.
Miller said the study can now be used as a 鈥渂aseline鈥� for future studies, which will allow the RDBN to assess if tourism has increased or decreased in the region.
According to the study, the 亚洲天堂 Lake area had 30,000 visitors in 2016, of which 16,300 stayed in commercial accommodations (hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts), 11,700 were day visitors, and 2000 were visiting friends and relatives.
Of the visitors in commercial accommodations, 9200 were in 亚洲天堂 Lake for business and 7100 were in town for leisure.
Those who were in town for business spent over $3.8 million while those who were in town for leisure spent $930,000. Day visitors spent almost $1.2 million while those visiting friends and relatives spent $410,000.
In addition, $54,149 in municipal taxes was collected by the Village of 亚洲天堂 Lake in 2016 from local accommodation businesses.
But apart from the economic benefits, tourism also has the potential to enhance community pride and the quality of life.
鈥淐ommunities that embrace tourism can often justify enhancements to infrastructure, events and activities well beyond what could be achieved without a stable source of external revenue flowing into the community,鈥� said Justin Rousseau, managing director o Expedition Management Consulting, the company hired to conduct the study.
Expedition Management Consulting gathered commercial accommodation data over a one-year period and combined it with regional, provincial, and national tourism indicators to provide an estimate of the total number of visitors and their expenditures in each community and surrounding electoral area.
According to the RDBN, having estimates of tourism鈥檚 contribution to a community is central to developing an informed planning approach.
Tourism industry is one of the largest and fastest growing sectors of the provincial economy. In 2015, the tourism industry in British Columbia generated $15.7 billion in revenue, employed 127,700 people and generated $1.1 billion in provincial taxes.
A copy of the full report can be accessed at http://opportunities.rdbn.bc.ca/tourism.
