Early indications suggest tourism is off to a good start
Victoria’s tourism industry could be buoyed by a pair of Royal B.C. Museum exhibitions that are expected to draw big crowds during what’s expected to be a busy summer.
Vikings invade the museum in May and, the following month, Our Living Languages will showcase the revitalization of First Nations languages.
“This year, we are expecting to have a very good summer. Especially with the Vikings exhibition, all things point to a lot of interest from the local community as well as those from off the Island and Seattle,” said Erika Stenson, the museum’s head of marketing.
The Vikings exhibition runs from May 16 to Nov. 11 and features about 500 artifacts, many of which have never been outside of Scandinavia.
Stenson said as it is the show’s only West Coast stop before heading east, it should attract interest from all over the region.
The Our Living Languages exhibition, which starts a three-year program at the museum, launches at the tail end of a First Nations festival to be held on the museum grounds in June.
The two attractions should help the museum maintain some of the momentum that started early in the year, Stenson said.
“So far our numbers are good,” she said, adding February was particularly strong with Family Day adding to the mix.
That theme seems to cover much of the city. While still a month before the tourism season really gets underway, early numbers suggest the region is off to a good start.
According to data compiled by Chemistry Consulting, hotels in the region saw a 1.66 per cent improvement in occupancy to 46.03 per cent over the first two months of the year, versus the same period last year. Revenue per available room increased to $46.30, up $3.13.
B.C. Ferries vehicle traffic was down slightly, 0.72 per cent, over the first two months but passenger numbers are up 0.37 per cent to 585,334.
Victoria International Airport saw a solid increase in the first two months of this year with a 5.26 per cent increase in passengers through its gates, versus last year. Over the first two months, there were 231,808 people through the gates compared with 220,222.
Victoria Airport Authority CEO Geoff Dickson credits the bump in traffic to new service from WestJet Encore, the airline’s regional service that launched last year.
“January and February were both record months, that’s now our fifth and sixth consecutive record traffic months,” he said. “The new service from Encore is really driving the business, it has opened up new opportunities to connecting the WestJet network in Vancouver and that creates new tourism opportunities and business opportunities.”
Some of the growth in tourism is likely a result of momentum established after a strong finish to the tourism season last year and a rebound in U.S. visitation, said Chemistry Consulting principal Frank Bourree.
“The U.S. is starting to swing a bit in our favour,” he said, adding that should mean an up-tick in both hotel occupancy and room rate this year.
That seems to be the case, said Ryan Burles, president of Black Ball Ferry Line, which runs the Coho ferry between Victoria and Port Angeles.
The ship has seen an increase in traffic in the first two months compared with 2013, and Burles expects that to continue as the Canadian dollar adds value for American visitors, while it hasn’t dropped far enough to convince Canadians not to travel south.
“The numbers are looking pretty good; so far we’re up slightly, the trend is there,” said Burles. “We just have to keep promoting our destination.”