PAUL NURSEY
VICTORIA – Greater Victoria’s visitor economy just experienced its strongest summer in at least 10 years, thanks in large part to our successful collaboration with Destination Greater Victoria (DGV) members, the Province, municipalities and numerous other tourism industry stakeholders. At DGV, we’re committed to building on that momentum through strategic business decisions informed by strong research and analysis.
Looking ahead, our region’s visitor numbers are expected to grow steadily; cruise and convention business looks strong and major tourism partners like BC Ferries, Victoria Airport Authority and international ferry providers all predict increased traffic in the years ahead. That presents a challenge, as the Hotel Sector Analysis in our 10-year Destination Plan outlines the need for more hotel accommodation in Greater Victoria.
In the past 10 years, Greater Victoria has lost about 2,000 hotel rooms, mainly in economy-branded hotels. To meet future demand, the region needs 800-1,200 new hotel rooms in the next five years, and 2,000 more over the next decade.
With those targets in mind, DGV recently launched the Greater Victoria Hotel Development Working Group, which is tasked with assessing current planning policies and development trends, identifying barriers to hotel development, identifying partnership opportunities between First Nations and hotel developers, and making recommendations for governments and hotel development partners regarding potential incentives, policy changes, and process improvements.
Addressing the current hotel room shortage presents an opportunity to make visiting Greater Victoria even more accessible for families, sports teams, and other groups. By expanding accommodation options, we can continue to support the many local businesses that rely on steady, year-round visitation.
This work comes at a critical time; the City of Victoria’s revised Official Community Plan calls for an adequate supply of full-service visitor accommodations across all price points and visitor segments through the development of 1,500 new hotel rooms by 2035. And, the latest commercial accommodation results for September show our summer momentum is continuing with 88.6 per cent occupancy rates (2.5 per cent higher than last year), setting us up for one of our strongest years on record.
As DGV continues to enhance Greater Victoria’s reputation as a premier, welcoming destination, we look forward to welcoming more Canadian and international visitors. Guided by collaboration, we anticipate the Working Group’s recommendations will help advance hotel development in our region and inform DGV’s hotel development advocacy priorities and approach, ensuring Greater Victoria remains accessible and vibrant for all visitors.
Paul Nursey is the President and CEO of Destination Greater Victoria
