PAUL NURSEY
VICTORIA – Happy New Year everyone! While we are just a few weeks into the new year, here at Destination Greater Victoria (DGV) we’re already in celebration mode. That’s because 2024 marks DGV’s 50th year of serving Greater Victoria residents and businesses.
DGV was created in 1974 as a community-led, not-for-profit organization that could provide services, expertise and branding platforms to help municipalities and businesses navigate and benefit from the complex global system of tourism marketing and sales.
As our region’s official, destination marketing and management organization, over the years we’ve had the honour of working closely with countless community partners, industry leaders and supporters that have helped Greater Victoria become a much sought-after destination and world-class tourism brand. Together, we’ve also grown our visitor economy, which now plays a critical role in supporting the residents of Greater Victoria and the services they rely on.
Along the way, we’ve also transformed the way we operate by incorporating principles of environmental sustainability, cultural diversity, social responsibility and equity into everything we do.
Throughout 2024, we’ll be marking our 50 years of tourism in Greater Victoria with activities such as a video series, podcast stories, digital storytelling display at the Visitor Centre to highlight the evolution of the visitor economy, and more.
At the same time, we’ll be building on our solid brand foundation and our remarkable growth in 2023. We’re delighted to note that 2024 is already moving ahead at a quick clip. From conferences and events to sport tourism events and more, we’re anticipating a big year, with business at the newly Biosphere-certified Victoria Conference Centre already projected to be five per cent greater than it was last year.
Among our priorities for 2024 will be updating foundational research, unveiling a ten-year tourism master plan and investing in air route development for improved accessibility. Just as importantly, we look forward to supporting our nearly 1,000 member businesses as they welcome a worldwide audience attracted by Greater Victoria’s hard-earned reputation as one of the most beautiful and friendliest urban destinations in the world.
While much has changed over the past 50 years, we are proud to remain community-led and governed by our members. As an organization that is more nimble and responsive than ever before, our work in 2024 will continue to be guided by our unwavering commitment to serving our members and communities and delivering results for the benefit of everyone in Greater Victoria.
Paul Nursey is the President and CEO of Destination Greater Victoria
