Paul Nursey is the President and CEO of Tourism Victoria. To find out more, visit www.tourismvictoria.com.
GREATER VICTORIA – Think of the tourism industry as a house supported by five strong, weight-bearing posts. Each of these pillars helps the industry benefit more efficiently during good times, and better withstand any cyclical downturns. At Tourism Victoria, we have identified five pillars that we see as key to our region.
1. We are part of a bigger picture
Greater Victoria is at the heart of a truly vibrant Pacific Northwest economic region on the West Coast of North America. From San Francisco to Portland, Seattle and Vancouver, Greater Victoria is in the middle of an economic and cultural powerhouse. This region serves as an important market for short-haul travellers (someone who visits for leisure for at least one night) while also capturing the imagination of global visitors. We are right in the middle of one of the world’s trendiest regions. Victorians often underestimate the greatness of our city and uniqueness of our region, but we can stand shoulder to shoulder as part of the Pacific Northwest with other great cities.
2. Embracing experiential tourism
Today’s traveller craves experiences that engage their senses and inspire learning, connectivity and memories. Travellers want to grow and not just take snapshots. Greater Victoria is perfectly situated to fulfil these desires. Truly heartening about this very deep trend is that it ensures more small businesses and neighbourhoods benefit from tourism.
3. Smart policy moves
All levels of government are showing increased political support for the tourism industry. From vital work done on the expansion of Belleville Terminal, to decisions that create stability for tourism promotion, to the imminent removal of visa requirements for Mexicans visiting Canada, the federal and provincial governments and the City of Victoria are all making smart policy moves.
4. Marketing that drives results
Both the public and private sectors are seeing increased effectiveness from their marketing efforts. Our efforts to promote Greater Victoria are strongly aligned with the federal government (through Destination Canada) and the provincial government (Destination BC). In the past year, Tourism Victoria has benefited from the investment Destination Canada made in its “Connecting America” program. We have also leveraged co-operative marketing opportunities through Destination BC to promote our local craft beer industry.
Smart alignment creates efficiency, making our respective dollars more impactful and efficient. At Tourism Victoria, our marketing efforts have a 78:1 ROI as measured by an independent third-party, however we couldn’t achieve those strong results without our partners.
5. Strong collaboration
By knowing exactly what our objectives are, our region is united in a powerful way. Agencies involved in tourism — such as the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority, the Victoria International Airport Authority, the Greater Victoria Hotel Association and various civic governments — are all pulling together and working efficiently behind the scenes. We will need this collaboration to keep the tourism industry growing.
