Canada continues to see decline in visitors
Vancouver Watch
It may not feel like summer in parts of B.C., but make no mistake: Tourism season is underway.
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North Korea opening a tourist site on its east coast next week that's key to its tourism hopes
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea next week will open a signature tourist site on its east coast that it called a prelude to a new era in its tourism industry, though there is no word on when the country will fully reopen its borders to foreign visitors. The Wonsan-Kalma coastal tourist zone has hotels and other accommodations for nearly 20,000 guests who can swim in the sea, play sports and other recreation activities and eat at restaurants and cafeterias on site, state media said. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un toured the site and cut the inaugural tape at a lavish ceremony Tuesday, the official Korean Central News Agency reported Thursday. He said its construction would be recorded as 'one of the greatest successes this year" and called the site 'the proud first step' toward realizing the government's policy of developing tourism, according to KCNA. The Wonsan-Kalma zone will begin service for domestic tourists next Tuesday, KCNA said. But it didn't say when it will start receiving foreign tourists. Kim has been pushing to make the country a tourism hub as part of efforts to revive the ailing economy, and the Wonsan-Kalma zone is one of his most talked-about tourism projects. KCNA reported North Korea will confirm plans to build large tourist sites in other parts of the country, too. But North Korea hasn't fully lifted the travel curbs, including a ban on foreign tourists, that were imposed at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Starting from February 2024, North Korea has been accepting Russian tourists amid the booming military and other partnerships between the two countries, but Chinese group tours, which made up more than 90% of visitors before the pandemic, remain stalled. In February this year, a small group of international tourists visited the country for the first time in five years, but tourist agencies said in March that their tours to North Korea were paused.
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B.C. sees drop in American visitors amid cross-border tension
It may not feel like summer in parts of B.C., but make no mistake: Tourism season is underway. With summer vacation season set to get into full swing, newly released data shows Americans and Canadians alike seem to be avoiding cross-border travel. Statistics Canada released figures showing that the country's number of U.S. and overseas visitors dropped again in April. The data shows that the number of north-of-the-border trips by Americans was down 8.9 per cent year-over-year, and travellers from overseas were down 0.6 per cent. In B.C., the numbers show a decline of 18,009 Americans in April. These figures were the third consecutive month of declining visits by U.S. residents and the seventh consecutive month of declining trips by visitors from overseas. But officials in popular tourist destinations say there's reason to be optimistic despite the recently reported decline in cross-border travel. Kelowna Mayor Tom Dyas says the area has seen more than 200,000 visitors and is on track to welcome far more at the airport. 'Our airport is seeing record numbers of over 2.1 million visitors,' said Dyas. 'The hotel room bookings that we have for Canada Day, which is coming up this weekend, and going into the summer months is still very strong.' It remains unclear if these are foreign or domestic travellers but data from stats Canada also reveled that the number of Canadians returning from trips to the U.S. dropped by 29.1 per cent – suggesting the possibility that people are choosing domestic destinations. TransLink is looking to capitalize on the domestic travel itch and announce its Transit-Friendly Summer Tours throughout Metro Vancouver. The Lower Mainland transit service is offering 50 curated tours throughout the summer highlighting local businesses, attractions and other hidden regional gems. A passport will be available next week that will allow travellers to get it stamped at different locations for a chance to win a cash prize. 'You hop on a bus, you hop on a SkyTrain, and that's going to take you to wherever you need to go,' said Anita Bathe, a TransLink spokesperson. 'There's a fun contest involved, and it's really exciting to make sure that we are encouraging people to support local businesses.' While initiatives roll out to keep Lower Mainlanders and other British Columbians in the province, popular destinations south of the border are already seeing a drop in interest. Steve Wright, the mayor of Seaside, Oregon, told CTV News on Wednesday that traffic to the website from Canadians is down 57 per cent year over year. 'We haven't changed. We're still accepting, we view you all as friends we haven't met yet, and we want you to come and enjoy our town,' said Wright.
