(ADAM PROSKIW / iNFOnews.ca)
October 17, 2019 - 7:00 AM
Over a million more people visited the Interior this summer than in the summer of 2018.
Recently released statistics from the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association show the number of Canadian tourists who spent a minimum of one overnight in the region jumped from 2,951,040 in 2018 to 3,967,590 in 2019 - a 34 per cent increase.
The number of international visitors also increased in the months of June, July and August from 646,920 in 2018 to 741,970 this year - a 15 per cent increase.
Of the almost four million domestic tourists who spent a minimum of one night in the region, 54 per cent came from within B.C. and 31 per cent from Alberta. Tourists from Saskatchewan and Ontario both accounted for five per cent of the domestic markets, while visitors from the other provinces and territories made up just a few per cent between them.
Almost half a million Americans visited the Interior for one night or more during the summer accounting for 64 per cent of all international visitors.
Although visits from international tourists increased, the number of Australian tourists fell by 21 per cent, and the number of tourists from China dropped by 11 per cent.
The data used by the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association is collected from cellular towers, which excludes Interior residents, and measures the length of time an individual stays in the region. To calculate day visitors, a tourist must spend a minimum of 90 minutes stopped at a single location. Overnight visitors are calculated based on where they spent the majority of hours between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.
This method of collecting data began in the Interior in 2018, meaning numbers for previous years are not available.
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