Introduction
There has always been a draw to Vancouver for tourists from around the world, largely in part due to Vancouver’s location and scenic beauty, as well as the many attractions that reside in the area. In February 2010, Vancouver hosted the Winter Olympics and with that came a spike in the tourism industry which continues to rise even today. As it stands currently, 2013 is experiencing a 2.2% increase in visitors compared to 2012 numbers (Source: Vancouver Tourism).
Approximately 9 million people from around the world visit Vancouver each year with the average visitor spending four days in the region (Source: Vancouver Economic) Tourism is one of Vancouver’s most vital sources of income; therefore, it is important that we maintain the appeal of Vancouver’s tourism industry.
In addition to the visitors here for personal reasons, Vancouver is also a popular location for conventions and business meetings which account for approximately 2 million hotel nights. These rates are expected to grow more than 50 % between the years 2008 and 2015 (Source: Vancouver Economic).
GIS is a useful tool in performing spatial analysis of locations, especially in researching ideal locations for services and stores. With tourism being vital to Vancouver’s economy and with the rate of visitors expected to increase in future years, my aim is to spatially analyse Metro Vancouver and pin point suitable locations for the construction of new hotels.