PAUL NURSEY
VICTORIA – Following a highly successful year for meetings and conferences in 2024, an already promising 2025 is looking even better with news that Porter Airlines will offer four weekly, non-stop, roundtrip flights between Ottawa International Airport (YOW) and Victoria International Airport (YYJ) effective May 15, in addition to the daily flights it already operates between Victoria and Toronto.
The new route is a direct result of Destination Greater Victoria’s (DGV) investment in air route development and our commitment to improving direct air access to more cities in Canada and the United States, a key goal noted in our 10-year Destination Master Plan. DGV is proud to invest in Porter’s Ottawa-Victoria route with contributions that include financial marketing support and in-kind marketing services that were instrumental in securing the new service.
By offering a seamless travel experience for conference delegates and business tourists flying out of Ottawa, this new service is an important resource for Greater Victoria’s business events sector and strengthens our position as a leading destination for meetings and events. Conferences are especially valuable to our visitor economy as delegates tend to stay longer, spend more than leisure travellers, use more services, and are more likely to extend their stay or return for leisure purposes. In addition, attendees book in advance, which adds certainty.
Last year was a strong year for Greater Victoria’s meetings and events business, with the Victoria Conference Centre hosting 147 events that generated 94,200 delegate days and $31.1 million in business sales, while supporting more than 10,000 jobs. More than 100 events are already scheduled for 2025, including 29 city-wide conferences, signalling this area of core business has now returned to pre-pandemic levels. On average, each city-wide conference generates more than $1 million in business sales.
More conferences may be on the way as a result of this new Ottawa-Victoria air service as Greater Victoria will host the Canadian Society of Association Executives this year, which includes 400 executives from Ottawa’s association market that each represent additional potential conference opportunities.
Throughout 2025, DGV will continue to explore new opportunities to enhance our region’s connectivity through collaboration with transportation providers and valued partners like the Victoria Airport Authority and Porter Airlines. By investing in initiatives that help grow our visitor economy, what we’re really investing in and supporting are the communities and people we’re proud to serve right here in Greater Victoria.
Paul Nursey is the President and CEO of Destination Greater Victoria
