Tourism Growing In British Columbia

British Columbia’s $6.3 billion tourism industry will lead the rest of Canada in 1996, says a spokesman for the Conference Board of Canada.

The industry is “fueled by a healthy provincial economy that is outpacing every other province,” David Redekop said Tuesday.

Vancouver leads in most categories, including hotel occupancy rates averaging 71 percent and room rates averaging $106, Redekop, the board’s principal research associate, told delegates to the B.C. and Yukon Hotels’ Association annual convention.

He said domestic pleasure travel, which makes up 71 percent of trips in British Columbia, will grow close to 5 percent next year, more than any other province.

Redekop said the forecast is for 8.7 million trips to and within British Columbia next year, an increase of 600,000 during the past three years.

“There’s no other province in Canada that can match that growth,” he said.