PAUL NURSEY
VICTORIA – On the heels of an impressive comeback year achieved largely though domestic travel, Destination Greater Victoria (DGV) is looking to continue our region’s post-pandemic recovery with an aggressive, multi-pronged program aimed at increasing visitation from the United States to levels that match and eventually exceed pre-COVID levels.
For DGV and its members, the US market is critical. American travellers typically account for up 20 per cent of the total visitors to Greater Victoria, and on average, each visitor spends 70 per cent more than a Canadian visitor. Unfortunately, while barriers such as the ArriveCAN app and vaccination requirements have disappeared, we’re now facing pilot shortages, reduced flights and increased costs affecting transborder air service.
As we work to win back the hearts and business of an American populace that kept right on travelling through COVID (rediscovering its own domestic destinations in the process), we’re encouraged by research showing their desire to travel to Canada remains strong. We’re leveraging that desire with a number of other initiatives that make us optimistic, including:
We’ve partnered with US-based MMGY Global, the world’s largest travel-specific firm, with unmatched US buying power, business relationships, research and knowledge of the marketplace. Last year, MMYG helped generate 535 travel media and travel influencer stories about Greater Victoria, far surpassing our previous benchmark of 300.
We’re working closely with transborder transportation partners like Kenmore Air, Clipper Navigation, Black Ball Ferry Line and Harbour Air.
Aided by a favourable exchange rate, we’re gaining meetings, conference and tour packages business through initiatives such as sales gatherings across the US, a dedicated in-market sales leader based in San Francisco, and the ongoing exploration of cross promotion opportunities with Visit Seattle.
We’re also surgically using data-driven marketing tools to identify and market to numerous high-value population segments in the US.
The full recovery of our US visitor numbers won’t happen overnight, but we believe it will happen. Our experienced team at DGV has successfully navigated similar downturns in the past (9/11, Global Financial Crisis, Western Travel Hemisphere Initiative) and we’ve been making steady progress since before the borders re-opened in September 2021.
Working with our many partners and valuable members, we have a realistic and attainable opportunity to grow Greater Victoria’s tourism business in the US, incrementally at first and leading to a bigger market position over time that will bring valuable diversification and stability to our destination overall.
Paul Nursey is the President and CEO of Destination Greater Victoria
