BC Business
Alice Lake, BC Parks | BCBusiness
British Columbians have pitched a lot of tents this summer. That’s according to a recent report from BC Parks and the Ministry of Environment, which shows that the province’s parks enjoyed a record number of campsite reservations this season. According to the report, more than 115,000 campsite reservations were booked through the Discover Camping service, which is BC Parks’ online booking tool. That number represents a 12-per-cent increase over last year, when the province broke 100,000 reservations for the first time. The numbers were tracked for the summer months, up to the long Labour Day weekend, after which most parks see a marked decline in the number of visits. “2013 has been the busiest year ever for camping reservations in BC Parks,” said Environment Minister Mary Polak in a release. “This means visitors are making good use of the resources available to get out and enjoy time in our world-class parks. There is still much to do and see in BC Parks around the province.” And those busy campsites translate into more revenue for BC Parks. Camp fees range from $10-30 per vehicle per night, and there’s another service fee for reserving online ($6 plus taxes per night). B.C. also added to its number of campgrounds this summer, upping its total to 5,000 sites across 95 provincial parks.