Tourists once again are taking a shine to Vancouver.
After a recession-battered 2009, tourism is up by six per cent so far this year, says Paul Vallee of Tourism Vancouver.
Hosting the Winter Olympics was a major shot in the arm for Metro Vancouver’s No. 1 industry, says Vallee, but one big reason for the positive numbers is the slow-but-steady worldwide economic recovery.
“We expect that trend to continue,” he said Wednesday.
Hotel occupancy rates for this summer are in the 85-to 90-per-cent range, back to their healthy 2008 levels.
“The U.S. visitors are up over last year,” said Vallee. “Europe is strong, Asia is relatively flat or down slightly and Canadian travel has been fairly decent.”
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