Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
800,000
Los Angeles
Hong Kong
Tokyo
London
600,000
400,000
200,000
0
1985
1990
1995
2000
Figure 2.5
Air passenger traffic through YVR on selected routes, 1984-2000 (
Source
: International Civil
Aviation Organization, OFOD files)
Passenger numbers for Hong Kong and Tokyo connections may be com-
pared to Los Angeles, the most important American destination for direct
scheduled flights, and London, the most important European partner.
Beijing only enters the registry in 1996 and while passengers increased
rapidly, by 2000 totals were less than a quarter of traffic with Hong Kong.
Los Angeles is the busiest connection throughout, indicative of the overall
diversity and primacy of linkages with the United States. In light of Japan's
major significance as a trading partner, YVR-Tokyo passenger totals were
the highest among Asian connections in the early 1980s and twice as high
as Hong Kong's and London's. But while traffic on this route almost dou-
bled to 2000, the growth rate was much lower than for other connections,
and by the end of the period had been surpassed in absolute numbers by
both Hong Kong-YVR and London-YVR routes. The prolonged economic
recession in Japan during the 1990s and the stagnation in trading relations
with Canada during this period coincide with the weaker traffic trends. The
1997 Asian financial crisis also checked Hong Kong numbers toward the
end of the period.
Hong Kong nonetheless showed the most dramatic expansion of these
principal routes, with passenger growth of 363 percent during the 1984-2000
period. The threshold of half a million air passengers in both directions a
year, first crossed in 1997 and sustained since, reveals a remarkably high
number of people moving between metropolitan areas 12-14 hours apart
with populations of only 6.7 million (Hong Kong) and 2.0 million (Vancouver)
in 2001. We will return on several occasions to interrogate the meaning in
everyday life of these numerous long journeys across the Pacific.
