Mexican visitors, Aboriginal tourism driving B.C. tourism boom

The number of international visitors coming to B.C. rose 14 per cent compared to the same period last year, and many are spending their money in the booming Aboriginal tourism sector.

More than 1.6 million overnight visitors came to B.C. during the first five months of 2016, according to Statistics Canada.

Visit from Mexico made up the largest jump at 38 per cent, while visits from the U.S. were up almost 16 per cent.

The province's Tourism Ministry speculated the low Canadian dollar and added flights to Vancouver helped fuel the rise.

A B.C. tourism ministry press release singled out Aboriginal tourism as the fastest-growing sector in the province.

Revenue doubled from $20 million in 2006 to $42 million in 2012 as the number of Aboriginal-owned tourism businesses rose to 300, far exceeding targets set for 2017.