The good news for B.C.'s tourism sector is that the number of non-American foreign visitors to Canada through B.C. entry points has finally exceeded a comparable monthly total pre-pandemic, according to new Statistics Canada data.
This comes four months after the province first attracted more foreign visitors (including Americans) than in a comparable pre-pandemic month.
In February, the number of non-American foreign visitors was 104,741, up 12.13 per cent from the 93,409 such people who entered Canada through B.C. entry points in February 2020.
One reason why the February total this year may be for the first time above the pre-pandemic level is that some international visitors may have cancelled or opted against trips to Canada in February 2020 out of fear of catching an unknown virus even though the World Health Organization (WHO) did not officially declare that there was a COVID-19 pandemic until March 11, 2020.
If we look at data for February 2019, instead of February 2020, there were 112,129 non-American foreign visitors who entered Canada via B.C. entry points, which would be about seven per cent more than in February.
Regardless, the bad news for B.C.'s tourism economy is that there are fewer American visitors than pre-pandemic.
B.C.'s cruise sector saw a record 1.25 million passengers in 2023, but that only helps in the spring, summer and early fall.
Having fewer American visitors coming to Canada through B.C. kept the overall number of foreign visitors to Canada through B.C. in February marginally below its pre-pandemic level, according to the data.
Had it not been for the drop in American visitors, B.C.'s international-visitor count in February would have been above where it was four years earlier.
Statistics Canada's data today shows that the number of international visitors coming to Canada through B.C. entry points in February was down only about 0.18 per cent, to 437,244 from 438,042 in February 2020. In that time frame, the number of U.S. visitors to Canada through B.C. entry points was 332,503, down nearly 3.52 per cent from the 344,633 Americans who visited Canada through B.C. entry points in February 2020.
The number of Americans coming to Canada through B.C. entry points exceeded pre-pandemic levels in June, July, September and October - months when there were cruises.
Since then, in each month, there have been fewer Americans visiting Canada through B.C. entry points than was the case in comparable pre-pandemic months.
The exchange rate has not significantly changed. The Canadian dollar strengthened against the U.S. greenback in November and December, but has since weakened.
Canada-wide, the number of Americans visitors has never exceeded pre-pandemic monthly levels, but in February the differential was smaller than it has been.
In February, 1,127,588 Americans visited Canada, down nearly 1.2 per cent from 1,281,300 Americans in February 2020, according to Statistics Canada.
