I think people visit Vancouver for many reasons. It's temperate climate and location between the ocean and mountains among them. Vancouver has an interesting history albeit a short one compared to the cities of Europe and Asia. The cultural diversity makes for a very accepting population. Vancouver, like many metropolitan cities, offers an almost endless supply of cultural events from Chinese New Years parades to art galleries to theatre, symphony, the list goes on. At the end of the day I feel the biggest reason people visit my city is word of mouth from friends and relatives who have have favourable experiences while visiting.