B.C. tourism operators are closely watching news about Russia's overnight invasion of Ukraine, but are so far resigned to speculate on what potential impact the invasion may have on travel.
The province has no direct flights to Russia, Ukraine, or to Belarus, where Russian tanks rolled over the Ukraine border to attack that country from the north.
Indeed, Russia, Ukraine and Belarus nationals are such a small component of B.C.'s international visitors that Destination BC does not even break out those countries in its monthly report on visitor arrivals to Canada through B.C. ports.
The bigger concern for the industry is that a wider conflict could take place, given that U.S. President Joe Biden said today that he believes that Russia's ambitions extend beyond taking over Ukraine.
Some people may feel like staying at home when global conflicts arise, as they would not want to experience uncertainty of being caught abroad, or any new travel restrictions.
"If [the Ukraine invasion] is going to hinder any market, I would think it would be for people travelling to Europe, or travelling to Northern Europe," said Fairmont Hotel Vancouver general manager Adam Laker. "Will they instead come to Canada? It is anyone's guess."
The U.S. is B.C.'s biggest source of international visitors, with 69.1% of the 520,267 international visitors who stayed overnight in B.C. in the first 11 months of 2021 – the most time period for which data is available.
"Especially for people making the drive from Seattle, I really don't think that [the Ukraine invasion] will impact that," Laker said.
He added that, so far, he expects his hotel's supply chain for goods will not be disrupted.
Destination Vancouver CEO Royce Chwin added that his organization has scrutinized recent Google travel searches and found that Vancouver has been at or near the top of the list in recent weeks.
"Vancouver was ranked the No. 1 most searched destination in Canada," he said. "I don't know what it has been over the last 40 to 72 hours, but that was holding true for a good few weeks."
Chwin said he expects that interest in coming to Vancouver will stay strong but that the situation in Ukraine is evolving, and that things could change.
"The next hours, and few days, might give a better sense of what could be longer term implications for this industry," he said.
Tourism Indusry Association of British Columbia CEO Walt Judas similarly said that it is "too early to say" what impact the conflict may have.
"Anything that impacts travel confidence, and the safety and security of travellers anywhere in the world, is of concern to the tourism industry at large," he added.
The Vancouver Airport Authority told BIV in an email that there were no delayed flights today as a result of the Ukrainian invasion.
Desination BC sent BIV a statement that said, "global crises can certainly cause economic instability and travel uncertainty, but it is far too early to know what the impact of the last 24 hours will be, beyond the immediate safety needs of the Ukrainian people. Our thoughts are focused on the people of Ukraine, and their friends and relatives here in BC.”
