With the sun playing tag with the clouds and the intoxicating fragrance of cherry blossoms on the harbour, the setting seemed tailor-made for last Tuesday鈥檚 Tourism Turbo Drive event.
Eighty local tourism industry stakeholders exchanged stories and opinions at Coast Victoria Harbourside Hotel before a Tourism Town Hall got under way. Hosted by the Tourism Industry Association of Canada and the 91原创 Tourism Commission, it was the first time such an event has been held here.
It also presented a golden opportunity for Tourism Victoria CEO Paul Nursey to reunite with Jon Mamela, the CTC鈥檚 chief marketing officer he worked with across the pond.
鈥淭ourism in Victoria is such a great opportunity but we have to continue to work hard to capitalize on that,鈥� said Nursey, who also worked for Tourism 91原创 and has been on the job here for 90 days. 鈥淲e鈥檙e in recovery mode now and I鈥檓 optimistic about the future. We had untapped potential here, and we have to compete more aggressively to give travelers what they鈥檙e looking for.鈥�
Greater Victoria鈥檚 $1.9 billion dollar industry isn鈥檛 built on the same foundation it was in decades past, noted one guest after another before filing into the Coast Ballroom.
鈥淚 think the days of the [Royal London] Wax Museum and Undersea Gardens where people go and observe are waning,鈥� said Brian Henry, owner of Ocean River Sports. 鈥淚 think people going somewhere to experience activities is on the upswing. They want to experience something genuine, and we鈥檙e on the edge of nature right here, at the end of an island surrounded by beautiful waterways.鈥�
He said while American travellers are returning, with business up on Victoria Clipper and MV Coho sailings, it鈥檚 not just the exchange rate bonus that motivates them.
An example of an increasingly popular 鈥渟oft adventure鈥� is kayaking, Henry observed.
鈥淭he unassuming travelers are coming and doing kayaking which they never would have done before. It鈥檚 become more accepted.鈥�
Mamela said CTC has been working with TIAC to ratchet up Canada鈥檚 global competitiveness and increase visits, particularly by U.S. travellers 鈥� issues addressed during the open forum.
鈥淭his is an opportunity to outreach to our partners, where we get to hear their opinions and perspectives on their tourism economy,鈥� Mamela said. 鈥溾�滻t helps us understand what that does for us on the national stage. What we do in turn is educate and inform and provide an opportunity to understand how they can better partner with us. We find that partnership spirit alive and well in Canada.鈥�
Tourism Victoria board member and philanthropist Derek Sanderson was pumped, recalling how he successfully rebranded Victoria to reflect the entire capital region on Trip Advisor.
Sanderson and his wife Julie, owners of Island IT and co-chairs of the annual Victoria Masquerade Ball fundraisers, have become ambassadors for the city since moving here from Saskatoon six years ago. After encountering Trip Advisor CEO Stephen Kaufer at a social occasion, Sanderson worked with him for four months to better position local attractions.
鈥淚n the past The Butchart Gardens was just listed under Brentwood Bay, and most tourists wouldn鈥檛 think of looking there,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a massive bonus for people in Sooke, with the Sooke Potholes, and Sidney, with attractions like Ocean Discovery Centre and Sidney Pier. You can see all those offerings now under one construct, which was a huge undertaking.鈥�
