The B-C government says more than 5.5 million international visitors came to the province last year — a 12.3 per cent increase over the previous year. The record-breaking numbers have prompted the government to outline a new funding formula for its tourism marketing agency Destination B-C. The annual base funding of 50 million dollars will remain but ongoing increases will be tied to the performance of the Crown agency and the success of the tourism sector. A study done for Destination B-C shows tourism generated 15.7 billion dollars in revenue for 2015, which the government says proves the sector is a major economic driver for the province.