04 MAR 2019: Tourism in British Columbia is outpacing provincial economic growth as a record-breaking number of tourists visit the region. Tourism minister, Lisa Beare, told tourism operators at their annual conference Friday that the industry added $9 billion to BC’s gross domestic product in 2017, well above the province’s economic growth of four percent that year.

This marked an increase of more than 6.7 percent from a year earlier.

“It goes to show people really value the unique, authentic experiences you can get in BC,” Beare said in an interview.

Tourism revenues increased by 41 percent between 2007 to 2017, she said, adding the numbers reveal the sector added the largest value to the provincial economy over that decade, relative to the oil and gas, mining, forestry, logging and fishing industries.

“We’re the third-largest industry,” Beare said. “We definitely anticipate increased growth here in BC”

Beare said the government forecasts tourism to grow by six percent annually for the next several years. The government’s recent budget forecast the province’s economy to increase by 2.4 percent this year and 2.3 percent next year.

“BC is a destination of choice for people,” she said, adding the province’s natural beauty attracts visitors from around the world.

Beare said the industry employs more than 137,000 people and their wages are rising by almost seven percent annually.

She said there are more than 19,000 tourism-related businesses that include over 400 Indigenous tourism experiences.

More than six million tourists visited BC in 2018, said Beare, adding that’s a record and a 6.4 percent increase over 2017.

Beare told tourism operators at their annual conference the government would implement a plan to guide year-round tourism growth and protect the environment.

Industry spokesperson Glenn Mandziuk said in a statement that operators support government efforts to ensure people, culture and the environment are hallmarks of tourism policy in BC