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The World comes back
Tourism revenues on course to beat $1 billion after a couple of sub-par years

A strong July is building momentum for a record-breaking tourism year in Victoria.

According to the latest numbers from Tourism Victoria, the region is on target to realize $1.1 billion in tourism revenue this year.

Tourists crowd the Causeway Thursday, looking at native art and enjoying busker-style entertainment. August is traditionally the strongest month for tourism in Victoria. John McKay/Times Colonist

Increases in hotel occupancy, use of the Victoria Conference Centre and passenger numbers have Greater Victoria on pace for its best year yet.

“I think finally we can say it’s a summer of recovery for the destination,” said Melissa McLean, director of operations for Tourism Victoria. “Whether it’s as strong a recovery as we expected remains to be seen.”

August is traditionally the strongest month for tourism, followed by July and September. With the Eternal Egypt exhibit at the Royal B.C.

Museum running until the end of October, much is expected from the fall.

“As it stands right now, there’s momentum building around Eternal Egypt and if it follows the pattern of the Leonardo da Vinci exhibit, people will wake up to the fact the exhibit is here and that should mean a strong September and even stronger October,” she said.

But it all builds off a strong first seven months. There was continued recovery in all sectors of the tourism industry in July with the larger hotels (those with more than 150 rooms) reporting occupancy at 74.46 per cent year-to-date compared with 68.44 per cent by this time last year.

The conference centre was also busy, hosting 64,182 delegate days through July compared with 57,724 last year, an 11.19 per cent increase.

Victoria International Airport reports more than 717,000 passengers have passed through its gates through the end of July, an increase of 9.2 per cent from the same period last year.
B.C. Ferries ridership is up year to date as well, with 1.08 million vehicles, 3.48 million passengers and 20,035 buses on board through the first seven months of the year. That compares with 1.062 million vehicles, 3.344 million passengers and 16,700 buses over the first seven months of 2003.

The 19.97 per cent increase in motor coach traffic is particularly significant as the loss of tour buses hit some tourism businesses hard over the last few years. But just check the parking lot at Butchart Gardens in the morning and you’ll see the buses are back.

They fill the gardens’ massive lot during the morning, surround some of the larger hotels in the city and can make negotiating your way through downtown in the afternoon a real challenge. It may complicate the local commute, but the buses are a sign Greater Victoria is in a tourism rebound.

“We are having a wonderful summer,” said Butchart’s director of public relations Alison Partridge. “We’re not quite up to where we were at this point in 2001, but we’re hoping that after Sept. 11 we’ll see strong net growth.”

Partridge said traffic has been strong all summer and the gardens have seen a huge increase in visits from cruise ship passengers due to strong partnerships the attraction forged with transportation companies which are marketing tours to the ships. But not everyone is reaping rewards.

Some higher-end properties are dealing with lower-than expected occupancy rates.

“It’s OK, but really it’s not where it should be,” said Ian Powell, general manager of The Empress hotel. “The freer spending U.S. types are just not as plentiful as expected.”

Part of the reason may be the introduction of the Marriott Inner Harbour this year, a hotel whose brand is highly recognized and sought after by the American market.

© Copyright 2004 Times Colonist (Victoria)
reprinted with permission
Story Credit: Andrew A. Duffy

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