If you had trouble booking a camping site in B.C. this year, the Ministry of Environment has the numbers to back up the unprecedented demand.
As of Sept.6, a total of 182,523 camping reservations were made though the government’s Discover Camping reservation system. That’s a 16 per cent increase over last year.
The BC Parks camp reservation system crashed when reservations for the summer opened in March. Despite the fact the reservation fee has gone up, the website experienced three times the traffic volume it received last year.
The hot demand for camping spots spurred a black market, with campers scalping their unused reservations for up to 10 times their value.
The conversation around the topic also took another turn after accusations that companies are snatching up units and marketing them to overseas buyers.
READ MORE: Concerns grow that B.C. campsite spots are being scalped in bulk
David Karn with the ministry says BC Parks will conduct an annual review of all policies at the end of the season to review how the season went and to identify where improvements can be made.
“We encourage the public to regularly check the Discover Camping Reservation Service for updates on new inventory and camping opportunities in 2017,” said Karn.