Destination BC Releases 2025 BC Resident Perceptions of Tourism Research
Destination BC is pleased to release the 2025 BC Resident Perceptions of Tourism Snapshot Series, providing valuable insights into how residents across the province perceive the economic, social/cultural, environmental, job/career, and Indigenous impacts of tourism at the provincial, regional, sub-regional, and local levels. These Snapshot Series follow the full annual report released in February of this year.
Insights from this research contribute to Destination BC’s commitment to fostering a globally competitive tourism ecosystem that supports thriving communities, businesses, residents, and visitors across British Columbia.
This research, based on the Fall 2025 survey of 5,114 respondents, helps tourism industry partners, destination management organizations (DMOs), local governments, and policymakers better understand residents’ views on tourism and its role in their communities.
BC Resident Perceptions of Tourism Snapshot Series
The Snapshot Series presents findings at multiple levels:
- BC-wide report
- Six regional reports
- Seven sub-regional reports
- Seventeen local reports (for communities with a large enough population for local-level reporting)
These reports provide valuable insights into how residents perceive tourism and offer data that supports informed decision-making in destination management and tourism planning.
Please note: The reporting does not directly compare communities, as the purpose of this research is to inform and educate rather than encourage competition among destinations. Reports are published based on available data and reporting thresholds.
Toolkit for Conducting Resident Perceptions Research
While the Snapshot Series provides broad insights, smaller communities can independently conduct their own resident perceptions survey using Destination BC’s Developing and Designing Research Studies: Examining Resident Perceptions of Tourism in BC Research Toolkit.
This free resource equips destination management organizations and community partners with a step-by-step guide to survey development, sampling methodologies, data analysis, and reporting.
The toolkit helps communities gather resident feedback and better understand local perspectives on tourism, enabling more informed destination planning and management.
Guided by Destination BC’s Scholar-in-Residence, Dr. Jarrett Bachman, this research supports Destination BC’s commitment to building a globally competitive tourism ecosystem that enhances the well-being of BC residents and visitors alike.
Destination BC will not be conducting the BC Resident Perceptions of Tourism survey in Fall 2026, with future provincial research to resume at a later date. In the meantime, communities wishing to better understand local resident perspectives are encouraged to use the toolkit to conduct their own research.
The toolkit is also a valuable resource for communities that do not have a Snapshot Series report available due to reporting thresholds or sample size limitations.
Links and Resources
- Toolkit: Developing and Designing Research Studies – Examining Resident Perceptions of Tourism in BC
About Destination BC’s Research & Analytics Team
Destination BC operates as a data-driven organization led by its in-house Research & Analytics team, which works collaboratively to conduct comprehensive studies across various facets of BC’s tourism industry.
The team monitors evolving markets and key performance indicators, leveraging a range of research tools and methodologies to provide industry partners with data and insights that support evidence-based decision-making. These insights help inform tourism development, destination management, marketing strategies, and broader industry planning across the province.
