Camping reservations up 19% in B.C. parks last summer, despite rising fees

Camping reservations in B.C. parks reached record levels last summer, up 19 per cent from the previous year, despite an increase in user fees at camp grounds.

More than 24,000 additional reservations were made in the summer of 2015, with a growing number of campers from outside B.C.

Camping reservations also grew by 13 per cent the previous year.

Campers have felt the pinch of increasingly popular reservations, with some complaining last spring that popular destinations are booked up months in advance.

• Camping fees in B.C. provincial parks to rise
• Camping reservations too hard to get, say residents

Environment Minister Mary Polak said in a release she was "thrilled" by the rise in visitors.

"The pride British Columbians have in our magnificent parks is clearly reflected in the increasing numbers," she said.

"More and more we are seeing the world associate B.C. with the natural splendour we enjoy right in our own backyard."

Three-quarters of camping reservations in B.C. are made by British Columbians, with the rest coming from Alberta (14 per cent), the rest of Canada (3 per cent), the U.S. (4 per cent) and overseas (7 per cent).

Of the overseas visitors, nearly half are Germans.