Introduction
For a long time, British Columbia has been a leading tourist destination for both international and local tourists. Its main attractions are attributed to its wide variety of urban and cultural diversity in a number of areas such as performing arts, visual arts, sports, shopping and a variety of other fascinating activities in outdoor set ups (Church, 2007, p. 125). British Columbia’s economy therefore thrives on tourism as its main economic driver and the government, with the help of the community has gone to extreme levels to ensure the location is safe, clean and attractive for all tourists willing to visit the area (Shangaan, 2010, p. 1).
From 2007, tourists have been streaming into British Columbia and since 1999; room occupancy rates in the province are at an all time high (Shangaan, 2010, p. 1). Most of the zones in the province like the North coast, Nechako, Kootenay, Thomson, Vancouver, Caribou and the Mainland now record high tourist levels with indicators of growth linked to increased revenues in hotels, fishing lodges, motels and hotels (Shangaan, 2010, p. 2). Other indicators of increased tourism levels are noted through an increase in airport travel but increased growth in tourist numbers is projected at an approximate 6.6% per year (Dowling, 2006, p. 157).
Part of this growth is attributed to the magnificent and breathtaking natural features of British Columbia, such as its beautiful parks, ecological environments, state of the art recreational facilities, campsites, boat launch areas, among others. In fact, a significant portion of the province’s parks provide a good wild/jungle setting which creates a perfect ground for hiking. Mountaineers and hikers are therefore very common in such like designations. British Columbia’s magnificent beaches and marine parks have also been identified as some of the major attractions for marine tourists while its abundant marine wildlife attracts many nature lovers. In general, British Columbia stands out as a fantastic tourist destination and this study explains this fact through the analysis of Vancouver Islands and Southern Coast, which are popular tourist destinations in the province.
Vancouver Islands
Vancouver has a diverse mix of rich cultural heritage that’s preserved in museums and in conventional seasoned events taking part throughout the year (Shangaan, 2010, p. 10). Vancouver is therefore popularly known for its vibrant natural environment because of the emphasis locals place on nature preservation; but its endowment of recreational facilities and cultural enrichment cannot to be ignored either. A popular location in the Vancouver islands is Saturna Island. Saturna Island has a very unique climate which is exclusive to the locality and closely resembles the Mediterranean climate (Shangaan, 2010, p. 13). The summer period is very warm and conducive for surfing while the winter season is normally milder than most places around the globe. The mountainous topography of the adjacent zones therefore provides good ground for skating during winter. Common activities in the locality include whale watching, diving, and kayaking but another common activity is wine production (Shangaan, 2010, p. 13). The best wines can therefore be found in the region and curious enthusiasts interested in wine brewing can learn a lot from the place. This can be a good blend of business and pleasure, especially for wine lovers.
The gulf islands provide spectacular scenery of a 60 acre vineyard which harbors classic European grape varieties which grow from the ideal weather conditions of the area (Shangaan, 2010, p. 13). Visitors are commonly known to purchase wine from the wine shop but a number of merchandises are also sold to compliment the most common activity in the island: wine tasting (Shangaan, 2010, p. 13).
A couple of miles away from the gulf islands is the Quante Salmon stewardship centre which is commonly known to give visitors a chance to see and learn about salmon life; an opportunity very few people get to have (Shangaan, 2010, p. 13). The centre has a magnificent gallery that incorporates a fun-filled display of salmon habitats; partly constituting wood debris. Visitors here can get to know more about ocean environments and the challenges that face salmon life while they get a tour of the hatchery. The fish culture is also conspicuous at the centre and fish lovers can get to learn a lot about the art. These attractions are open to tourists at a low cost fee of $5 for adults and $2 for people below the age of 18 (Shangaan, 2010, p. 13). However, for tourists visiting as a family, they only need to pay $10 only. This is a good location for families touring British Columbia because children can get to learn a lot about salmon life and parents can also enjoy the breathtaking features of the centre.
For eco-lovers, Vancouver provides a good ground for bird watching, bear watching, whale watching, hot spring tours and the likes at the whale centre, located in Rofino (Shangaan, 2010, p. 13). For ordinary visitors, this place provides an unforgettable personal experience with wildlife while institutional tourists can find the centre very interesting because of its educational value. The whale centre provides an opportunity for tourists to watch a number of animals including grey whales, humpbacks, ocas, sea otters and the likes. The experience is greatly facilitated by the friendly staff at the centre (Shangaan, 2010, p. 13).
Sports lovers can also be able to take a look at the world’s largest hockey stick designed by Douglas Fir at the Cowichan community centre (Shangaan, 2010, p. 18). The Guinness book of world record recognizes the Vancouver hockey stick as the world’s biggest, after a 20 year contention, especially by the state of Minnesota which has an equally big hockey stick of 21meters (Shangaan, 2010, p. 13). In comparison, the Vancouver hockey stick is 40 times larger than the ordinary hockey stick (Shangaan, 2010, p. 13).
Apart from sports, Vancouver visitors can indulge in cultural artifacts by orienting themselves with British Columbia’s rich culture which is preserved at the Hatley Site prehistoric Museum. The Museum is located at the Southern tip of the Vancouver Islands or a 25 minute drive from downturn Victoria (Shangaan, 2010, p. 7). The museum sits on a 5675 acre land and stands as one of Canada’s largest prehistoric site built in 1908 by a former British Columbian premier, Carl baron (Shangaan, 2010, p. 13). The Museum is now a huge castle and home to the most diverse cultural artifacts in present day Canada. The biggest attraction to the museum is its authenticity in representing the British Columbian culture.
At the Hatley Site Prehistoric museum, visitors can get to learn about past happenings in British Columbia which links them to present day adventures they enjoy. In a day, visitors can enjoy private tours of the castle taking between 30-60 minutes and also indulge in a nature walk or picnic at the Heritage garden, Japanese garden, Italian garden or the rose garden (Shangaan, 2010, p. 13). Of late, there have been a number of visitors’ programs started to keep visitors entertained but mostly they include participation in seasonal events (Hudman, 2003, p. 62). At the same time, visitors can get to sample exquisite British Columbian dishes at the famous Hatley park restaurant. One of the greatest attractions to this location is its intimate garden setting which is quite suitable for wedding events while its indoor setting is also good for conference meetings, corporate team building events, motion picture filming and other events of a similar nature. The place is usually open to visitors during summer from 10:00am-5:00pm (Shangaan, 2010, p. 7).
While visitors indulge in all the fascinating activities at Vancouver Island, accommodation is guaranteed at the Lilac house bed and breakfast. The lodge is located as the foot of Sook hills overlooking Veitch Greek which is an infamous romantic site for couples (Shangaan, 2010, p. 9). Here, visitors normally have the opportunity to unwind and enjoy the beautiful natural scenery of Vancouver islands, with a guaranteed experience of being at home; but away from home. The reason why many visitors enjoy the place is because of its highly furnished guest rooms (Shangaan, 2010, p. 13). Basically, the rooms are furnished with classy antiques and breathtaking artifacts which provide the visitors with a unique experience that’s only characteristic of Lilac. Ideally, honeymooners can be able to enjoy the excellent room service which is privately offered by lilac’s staff at the honey moon cottage but other visitors can also enjoy the same five star treatment at the comfy bed and breakfast rooms which among others offer an array of food varieties like fresh fruit salad, yoghurt, blue berry and banana pancakes among other delicacies (to suit different visitor profiles across the globe). As an additional attribute to the Lilac lounge, visitors can either prefer to relax and enjoy the facilities of the hotel or alternatively, engage in a nature walk across the vast five acre woodland surrounding the lounge. The current rates at the hotel are diverse, depending on the type of services visitors need. However, for the Lilac house, bed and breakfast, visitors pay $80 a day for pre-Raphaelite rooms while suite angels go for $90-$120 a day, depending on the services a visitor wishes to enjoy. The cottages go for about $100- $150 per day but for three nights and weekly accommodation, the charges are $349 and $750 respectively. For visitors wishing to bring a partner along, they need to pay an extra $15 (Shangaan, 2010, p. 9).
Sunshine Coast
The Southern Coast is located to the south of the mainland coast of British Columbia; encompassing regions predominantly known to be part of the Sunshine coast district (Hein, 2010, p. 9). Accessing the locality is rather adventurous because access roads have not been built yet, but ferries provide a good access into the location because of the steep terrain of the area (Hein, 2010, p. 9). The major establishments at the sunshine coast are the Gibson’s, Sechelt, (the region’s commercial hub), and the Pender harbor (which hosts rich people in the society and is dotted with magnificent water front homes, next to the beach) (Hein, 2010, p. 9). The area is home to the world’s biggest tidal marine rapids which acts as a narrow waterway for the ferries and attracts droves of tourists every year (Hein, 2010, p. 9). At Sunshine Coast, there are a number of hotels currently in operations but the main types of accommodation available are cottages and bed and breakfast lounges. The most probable places visitors can seek accommodation is the historic Lund hotel, the Dome, and Sevilla Island resort. The rates are variable but a minimum of $75 and a maximum of $225 can sufficiently provide one with a decent accommodation while touring the Southern coast (Hein, 2010, p. 9).
Fishing is a common activity in the Southern coast because of the variety of salmon animals dominant in the region although golfing, camping, kayaking, canoeing, hiking, and scuba diving are quickly picking up as popular recreational sports (Hein, 2010, p. 9). Sunshine Coast is home to world renowned musicians and artists whose works have been evidenced the world over; apart from local galleries and stages. Aside from these dominant characteristics at the Sunshine coast, there are a number of “must visit” places in the region.
Firstly, the Desolations sound is a common place for visitors because it hosts one of the biggest marine parks in the greater British Columbia region. The marine park is therefore the most dominant feature at Desolation sound and stretches about 61 miles along the shores of Sunshine coast (Hein, 2010, p. 9). In addition, Desolation sound, hosts a number of small islands of the sunshine coast which are protected by bays and Coves. Visitors can also indulge in swimming and scuba diving in the warm park waters but those who’d wish to engage in nature walks can also do so at the forested highland of the park, which leads to hidden lakes within the vicinity, but hosts adventurous nature trails (Hein, 2010, p. 9). However, accessing Desolation sound can be quite a challenge for most visitors because it can only be accessed by air or water (Hein, 2010, p. 9). Nonetheless, this poses an opportunity for visitors to enjoy a trip by cruise boat to the area.
The second place visitors would find very adventurous is the Earls Cove. Earls Cove is a popular spot for canoeing, or kayaking because it leads to Sakinaw Lake (Hein, 2010, p. 9). This spot can be very adventures for visitors wishing to engage in the above activities but even those who don’t, would find the place very interesting by watching the buzz of activities going on. Canoeing and Kayaking can also be done at Egmont which also leads to Ruby Lake. However, unlike Earl’s cove, Egmont provides a nice environment for hiking. In fact, nature trails lead to Roland point which is also an attractive place to hear roaring, bubbling and boiling tidal waves (Hein, 2010, p. 9).
Thirdly, visitors always throng at Garden bay, located 29 miles, North of Sechelt, but along the Southern Coast (Hein, 2010, p. 9). Here, visitors can unwind because the place is a bustle of activities as popular restaurants and pubs in the South Coast are located in the same area. The place is also accessible by water and tourists can enjoy a ride from South coast cruises. Finally, visitors would find Sechelt quite fascinating because of its rich entertainment service to most tourists. Sechelt is therefore the cultural centre of the Southern coast where visitors can interact with the region’s artists, musicians, actors and the likes as they are entertained. The area is dotted by huge mountains but festivals and fairs are more dominant because visitors like to sample south coast entertainment events, a lot (Hein, 2010, p. 9). However, Sechelt is not only known for its cultural heritage because it also has the best summer environment for camping and golfing as well.
Conclusion
The South Coast is a rich tourist destination for all types of visitors. Practically all types of activities can be held in the various locations discussed in this study. More notable is the diversity in events that visitors can engage in. For starters, Vancouver Island is the best location for family events and is very educational when trying to explore the history of British Columbia. This provides a good destination for many institutional visitors such as schools and colleges. The Southern Coast on the other hand, is best for holiday lovers who want to make merry and take part in a number or marine sports like swimming or canoeing. The area’s wild nature trails and limited transport inject an element of adventure when touring the place and therefore, many visitors would find the place very exciting especially during summer. All these facilities can be enjoyed at minimal costs; throughout the year. This makes British Columbia a very interesting tourist destination for all age groups.
References
Church. A. (2007). Tourism, Power, and Space. New York: Routledge.
Dowling, R. K. (2006). Cruise Ship Tourism. Ontario: CABI.
Hein, C. (2010). Sunshine Coast. Web.
Hudman, L. E. (2003). Geography of Travel and Tourism. New York: Cengage Learning.
Shangaan. (2010). Attractions. Web.