American Tourists Get Hip to Canada’s Charms
Credit the surge of True North believers to everything from politics to Heated Rivalry. It’s also a cheap, easy trip.
Two people enjoying a surf lesson in Tofino.
Photographer: Jordan Dyck/Destination BC
On the wild western coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, a hat trick is when you spot three species of whale on one outing: gray, humpback and “black and whites,” as they call orcas here. It’s an elusive feat in the waters off this wind- and wave-tussled island, which has long enjoyed an IYKYK reputation, especially among Americans.
During the Vietnam War, the area was a prime destination for US draft dodgers. In the decades that followed, it attracted die-hard surfers willing to test its temperate waters. And in the past 18 months, Tofino — the tiny town that anchors much of the local population — has seen a sudden surge in cross-border visitors.