Print entire case study

Globalisation and Sustainability in The Whistler-Squamish Corridor: Recreation, Tourism and Sustainable

December, 2004

Tourism and Development in Whistler

The mountains surrounding the Whistler Village that attract so many international tourists, named Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains, are intrinsic to the resort's existence and present state of development. With the increased frequency of international tourism, the communities of Squamish and Pemberton have also experienced the influences of a global and mobile population who come to holiday in the Village.

The fluctuations in population of each of Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton include: 'weekenders' or homeowners who come to stay for 2 weeks each season, 'holidayers' who stay up to 10 days for vacation purposes, and 'day trippers' who come on bus tours or from Vancouver to ski/recreate and leave again on the same day. International tourists seek out recreation in skiing, snow-boarding, hiking, mountain-biking, camping, and water activities on the lakes, just to name a few. A very important and significant type of visitor is the non-resident homeowner who stays for about two weeks during the year, but does not necessarily rent or share the home with anyone else for the rest of that period. Many of these homes outside the Village are owned nationally and internationally by wealthy individuals and account for a large number of the homes developed outside the Village itself. Whistler is perceived as a good investment so some of these homes are also investment properties which are rented out to local or seasonal users; people from Vancouver and Seattle account for a large share of this market.

The Village offers very limited types of properties and appeals mostly to the true tourist user. It is this group who populate the pastel-colored chalets and lodge-style apartments in Whistler Village. During the winter season, they come from Canada and British Columbia (43.8%), the United States (25.9%), and Japan, Australia/New Zealand and others (18.6%), and Europe including Great Britain (12.2%) (RMOW, 1997: 5). The international composition of summertime visits are similar in proportion though Canadian and European visits are significantly more frequent. The two mountains of Whistler are rated the most popular resort in all of North America and as a result, 2 million tourists, or 30,000 visitors a day, spend time there annually. They rent private property in the Village or stay in a hotel room, paying anywhere from $160 to $1500 dollars a night for lodging. Given the varied composition of the 'resident population' in the Whistler area, the term 'bed unit' is more often used than 'population'. Bed units represent the number of pillows available in the community to accommodate people overnight. A cap of 52,500 bed units was set by past Resort Municipality councils of Whistler and has so far been upheld by subsequent councils. Technically, there have been increases to this cap for special land deals and developments, especially where employee-housing needs are concerned, so the cap on bed units can be hanged. Present development in the Whistler area is quickly approaching the orginal limit of 52,500.

Next: Tourism Whistler, the Resort Municipality of Whistler, Intrawest, and the Whistler Housing Authority