Olympic visitor spending on Visa cards tops $115M

Visa’s sponsorship of the Olympic Games came up golden with spending on the company’s debt and credit cards soaring 93% in B.C. and topping $115 million US.

On average, foreigners spent $6.8 million and raked up 65,000 debit, credit and prepaid transactions per day in the West Coast province between Feb. 12 and Feb. 28. In all, Visa recorded more than 1 million visitor transactions.

“Canadians welcomed the world and it looks like the world responded by getting their Visa cards out and spending up,” Antonio Lucio, chief marketing officer for Visa, said in a statement Wednesday.

Visa is an official Games sponsor and is the only card accepted at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games venues for any official Games-related transactions.

International Visa card spending in B.C. was given a 93% boost compared to the same 17-day period last year, as tourists opened their wallets for accommodation, travel, food, entertainment and merchandise.

Countries that recorded spending more than six-figures were:

• $61.1 million - USA

• $ 7.8 million - China

• $ 5.1 million - United Kingdom

• $ 4.3 million - Russian Federation

• $ 3.7 million - Australia

• $ 3.6 million - Japan

• $ 3.6 million - South Korea

• $ 2.8 million - Hong Kong, China

• $ 2.4 million - Norway

• $ 2.1 million - Germany

• $ 2.0 million - Switzerland

• $ 1.6 million - Brazil

• $ 1.4 million - France

• $ 1.2 million – Sweden