– Paul Nursey is the President and CEO of Tourism Victoria.
GREATER VICTORIA – With an annual economic impact of more than $100 million, the cruise industry is tremendously important to Greater Victoria. In 2016, 224 ships were welcomed at Ogden Point, bringing more than 550,000 passengers and 212,000 crew to our city, and making us the busiest cruise-ship port of call in Canada.
How did we get here, and how do we make sure Victoria continues to enjoy the economic benefits of the modern cruise-ship industry? One way is to nurture the important relationships needed to make business happen. In the cruise industry, there’s no better way to do that than at Seatrade Cruise Global.
Held every March in Fort Lauderdale, FL., Seatrade is the cruise industry’s premier global event.
This year, a 21-person group representing Victoria included dignitaries such as the CEO of the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority, Ian Robertson, and the Mayor of Victoria, Lisa Helps, as well as tour-bus operators, stevedores and others connected to the industry.
As President and CEO of Tourism Victoria, I could not have been more proud of the collaborative effort to build business and bring visitors to our destination.
In the past, we were part of a consortium at Seatrade that included delegates from Vancouver, Nanaimo and Prince Rupert. This year, because of the strength of our delegation, Victoria struck out on its own.
I can tell you that it was exceptionally productive to have senior executives from the cruise ship industry sit at the same table with Mayor Helps and the heads of our tourism bureau and the harbour authority. We were able to have focused discussions, from the perspective of the harbour authority, about marketing, public policy and political support.
The GVHA has stated its goal is to develop Ogden Point into a homeport, with one ship beginning its voyage from Victoria by 2020. That would be huge for our tourist economy, but it’s not something that can happen quickly.
Cruise lines are understandably cautious about any potential homeport’s ability to provision a ship and the cost of overhead, as well as air access for passengers flying in to begin their voyage. We were able to speak directly to these questions at Seatrade, and move homeporting from an idea to an active opportunity, with multiple leads interested in our business case.
Victoria is making an impression, and our delegation stood out among the world’s top cruise industry executives. For everyone invested in the health of our tourism economy, that’s something to be excited about.
