PAUL NURSEY
VICTORIA – At our recent Annual General Meeting in April, Destination Greater Victoria (DGV) and member businesses and stakeholders gathered to review our tourism sector’s performance over the past year and celebrate achievements. For us, the annual AGM is an important opportunity not just to report in detail on our results and progress, but to ensure full transparency with our most important stakeholders, Greater Victoria’s residents.
2024 was a successful year for our visitor economy. In addition to supporting 25,000 jobs across the region, we welcomed 4.9 million visitors and generated $3.5 billion in business sales outputs.
As positive as those numbers are, perhaps the most encouraging numbers come from a recent survey of 1,450 Greater Victoria residents, where 98.6 per cent of respondents said tourism was important to the region. One of the most revealing findings came from the question: “Does Greater Victoria attract too many, not enough, or just the right amount of visitors?” According to respondents, almost 60 per cent of residents feel that current visitor levels are just right, but close to 30 per cent would like to see more.
DGV initiates resident surveys every few years to ensure the perspectives and priorities of local residents inform our ongoing tourism marketing, community engagement, and long-term planning and are reflected in our region’s tourism strategy. This year, our largest-ever resident survey was conducted through a third-party Canadian firm which collected responses from all 13 municipalities across Greater Victoria between November 2024 and March 2025.
Additionally, 93 per cent said tourism is good at supporting jobs in Greater Victoria and 91 per cent agree it benefits local businesses.
Tourism is a critical engine for small and medium-sized enterprises and a vital part of our community’s success, especially during uncertain times. The results of our latest resident survey show people in Greater Victoria recognize this, and they support not just the current level of tourism, but also the responsible growth of our visitor economy. Our industry creates jobs, drives local spending, and enhances our communities and neighbourhoods. We’re grateful to the residents of Greater Victoria for recognizing the positive impact of welcoming visitors to our beautiful region.
The data proves that residents value the visitor economy and states the desire for responsible growth as part of the solution in uncertain times. For the 29 per cent who want more visitors, DGV will continue to grow the visitor economy responsibly with community feedback.
Paul Nursey is the President and CEO of Destination Greater Victoria
