VICTORIA – The just-announced 2018 Tourism Victoria Business Plan reveals the commercial direction for Tourism Victoria in the coming year.
Months of hard work and deliberations with members, government officials and other key stakeholders resulted in a strategic direction for marketing priorities, business events, and visitor services for the year ahead.
“The growth of tourism in Greater Victoria over the past few years is remarkable,” said Tourism Victoria President and CEO Paul Nursey. “The Business Plan sets the stage for continued momentum in several areas, and positions our organization to capitalize on what has become a truly global tourism brand.”
Major strategic priorities for the next year are categorized under four broad themes:
- marketing the destination year round;
- refreshing the Tourism Victoria brand;
- creating a new sports tourism model; and
- establishing a Customer Service Advisory Board for the meetings and conference business.
These four areas of focus will build upon Tourism Victoria’s success in 2017 with such initiatives as increasing in-market representation to generate qualified leads, cooperative marketing agreements and building out capacity around major events.
Industry projections for the 2018 show another strong year, as indicators suggest modest growth in terms of arrivals and occupancy.
In 2017 the Victoria International Airport reported a 5.63 percent increase in passenger movements, and BC Ferries has reported growth of 0.82 percent on Route 1 (Tsawwassen-Swartz Bay) over a record 2016. Year-to-date accommodations through August 2017 are up 1 percent from the previous year and accommodation revenue projections are up 8 percent for that same period of time.
2018 is also projected to be a strong year for conferences and major events. Several signature events will take place in Victoria in 2018, including the Travel Media Association of Canada 2018 conference, and the IIHF World Junior Hockey
Championship. Victoria Conference Centre continues to receive inquiries as Vancouver’s convention space becomes maximized.
