What does a person say about one of the most beautiful places on the planet? That is our dilemma as we set out to tell you about Whistler, British Columbia. We could use all of the adjectives in the dictionary but they are only words, aren’t they.Irma and I have been visitors to Whistler for a good many years. If we wanted to take you with us for a visit we would probably begin our journey from the city of Vancouver, certainly one of the worlds most beautiful. The two hour drive to Whistler will take us along the deep blue waters of Howe Sound where we view the ferries delivering people to the many destinations such as the Sunshine Coast, as well as Vancouver Island, Gabriola Island, Victoria and Campbell River, better known as the salmon fishing capital of Canada, lying in the distance.

The highway clings to the mountainside. Great vistas of water and snow capped peaks open up before our eyes. As we reach the small town of Squamish at the head of the Sound, the first of many glaciers come into view, contrasting with the greenery of the cedar and Douglas fir forests filling the valleys. Shortly, we pass the signs for Diamond Head and Elfin Lakes where hiking enthusiasts may spend hours or days enjoying the fantastic views of mountain lakes and lush meadows carpeted with the most beautiful and aromatic wild flowers nature has to offer.

As we drive the winding highway we pass a few Provincial Parks quietly inviting us to pitch our tents or park our RV’s on their perfectly maintained campgrounds. The excitement builds as we reach the first part of Whistler called Creekside with it’s residential areas surrounding the first of the High Speed chair lifts. Now we enter the glorious valley of Whistler Village, home to 9,000 permanent residents who spend most of their time pampering the more than 2 million visitors who drop by every year to enjoy the many activities the Valley has to offer.

Whistler Mountain Accommodations come into view now, the top rated hotels, condos and private homes blend into their settings perfectly situated to take advantage of the Whistler Ski Area with it’s more than 200 amazing ski runs served by perfectly placed high speed quad chair lifts and gondolas to whisk you anywhere you want on the two mountains of Whistler/Blackcomb. Visitors may wish to heli ski the pristine mountain bowls, take a snowmobile tour over glaciers with snow and ice lying 1,000 feet thick. Perhaps a quiet afternoon of cross country skiing or snowshoeing is more your style. Summer visitors (almost the same amount visit in summer as winter) will love the top rated golf courses built by the likes of Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer to name a couple. The adventuresome will want to take a ride on a jet-boat or a glider out of the magnificent Pemberton valley only 25 minutes north of Whistler.

By the way, Whistler is named for the cute little Marmots who call to each other with highly distinctive whistles. Hiking to a high mountain area such as Blowdown Pass will give you ample opportunity to view these wonderful creatures up close. Fishing, touring, gold panning, white water rafting, kayaking, and horseback trail rides will all lead you to the many outdoor activities waiting for you to enjoy while vacationing in the wonderful Whistler outdoors of British Columbia.

Whistler British Columbia lies a two hour drive north of the beautiful city of Vancouver. You could travel the world for a lifetime but not find a more picturesque, magnificent or exciting place to see or visit. Just when we thought it couldn’t get better, the 2010 Vancouver Olympics are going to set the place on fire. You really must come for a visit.

About the Author

Joe and Irma Mac Millan own the very informative website www.whistler-outdoors.com featuring all of the vital information visitors should have before they come to this beautiful destination.

Author: Dan Wallace

The increase in tourism has been rapidly increasing in Whistler for many years. Noted for being one of the best skiing and snowboarding areas in the world, having the largest skiing area in North America as well has having summer activities to match the winter, including world class golfing, mountain biking and hiking, thanks to the abundance of mountains warmed by the sea air in the summer making it an outdoor enthusiasts dream.

Up until a couple of years ago, the increase in tourism had been fast but steady and controlled. Since the decision for Whistler to host the winter Olympics in 2010 things have changed.

The recent unprecedented level of resort development comes with some urgency, as most developers want to take advantage of the attention the 2010 Winter Olympics will bring to the area. Despite skyrocketing construction costs, developers are feeling confident. The Government of Whistler has challenged the tourism industry to double in size by 2015 and interest in recreational real estate is so high that many projects are sold out before construction even begins.

With a strong economy and the boost in global awareness that the Olympics will bring, the future of tourism in B.C over the next few years looks healthy. The questions arise when long term growth comes into question. Firstly the capacity – will enough people come to Whistler to fill the beds?

Much of North America considers Whistler a difficult place to get too, and with impending tourism increase means possible problems with traffic, demand in air travel and traffic problems around B.C., which may put people off going there. Another potential problem is that most resort development is predicated on the sale of recreational real estate, whether its condo units, time share units, cabins or real estate lots. For a lot of people their considerable investment in recreational real estate means they are going to spend their vacation time using the property. They are less likely to be traveling around the province and sampling the various resorts being developed.

With increasing costs in Whistler and BC, Canadians may be put off the idea of visiting Whistler, instead choosing holidays abroad or to other destinations away from the spotlight that Whistler has fallen under.

These are not potentially catastrophic problems for the area but illustrate a need for long term planning and thought into the development of Whistler, and how to maintain momentum once the Olympics is over.

Poor planning has often led to post-Olympic areas being turned into ghost towns, with unused facilities, empty housing etc. however, with limited space in Whistler, careful thought has led to large areas of the Olympic village being turned into housing after the event, the majority of which for employees of the event. This will limit the possibility of unscrupulous developers ruining the area trying to cash in and potentially destroying the beauty of Whistler.

Despite the doubts and the potential for problems beyond the Olympics, the area looks set to continue with impressive growth in tourism, with 88 major tourism related development projects already underway, worth a combined 17 billion CAD.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/tourism-beyond-the-winter-olympics-199631.html

About the Author:

Skiatwhistler.com offers real time bookings of premium properties in the world class ski resort of Whistler, British Columbia. Our business is to market property rentals in Whistler to high end vacationers in order to maximize property owners’ return on investment (ROI).