The mass protests in Brazil are big news down here. In part, Brazilians are mad that the government is spending billions to host the World Cup and the Olympics, and don�t buy promises of economic benefit.
B.C.�s post-Olympic tourism stats support the protesters� skepticism.
The promised increase in visitors didn�t happen. In fact, two years after the Games British Columbia actually lost ground as a tourist destination.
In 2007, B.C. had 4,837,000 international visitors, 26.9 per cent of the Canadian total. The numbers plummeted in 2008 and 2009, not surprising given the global recession and financial crisis. International visitors increased slightly in 2010, fell in 2011 and inched up 1.1 per cent last year.
The number of international visitors in 2012 - 4,220,000 - was 13 per cent below the 2008 total.
And B.C.�s share of the total visitors to Canada was 25.9 per cent - the lowest in at least seven years.
You can rationalize changes in the raw numbers, pointing to external factors.
But B.C.�s tourist visits aren�t just flat-lined. They�re declining. The Games impact has been non-existent.
That�s not surprising. How many British Columbians decided to visit Turin after watching the 2006 Games?
But in selling the public on the Games, the government promised big benefits. It commissioned a study in 2002 that predicted the Games would result in 1.7 million to 2.7 million additional international visitors between 2008 and 2015. That�s at least 200,000 per year.
Those were among the benefits a contribution from taxpayers equal to some $450 per person - kids included - to pay for the Games.
And the promise of tourism increases has turned out to be entirely empty.
Those Brazilians have good reason to be worried.
International visitors
BC | BC Share | Canada | |
2006 | 4,811 | 26.5% | 18,175 |
2007 | 4,837 | 26.9% | 17,975 |
2008 | 4,459 | 26.1% | 17,089 |
2009 | 4,179 | 26.4% | 15,804 |
2010 | 4,271 | 26.5% | 16,093 |
2011 | 4,174 | 26.1% | 15,976 |
2012 | 4,220 | 25.9% | 16,311 |
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