Strong first half for Victoria tourism
Victoria’s tourism industry is reporting a strong but flat season so far this year, as it competes with the success it had in 2016.
According to figures released Thursday by Chemistry Consulting, the industry is in good shape, though it’s not seeing the big gains it did last year.
“Wet weather conditions in May slightly dampened hotel occupancy, but it’s important to remember that when comparing performance year over year, 2016 was a record year for tourism in Victoria,” said industry consultant and Chemistry principal Frank Bourree.
“Expect to break more records during June, July and August this year, with great weather and great events scheduled.”
Through the first five months of 2017, the area’s hotels reported average occupancy was 68.7 per cent. That’s a 0.6 percentage point drop from the same time last year, while revenue per available room increased slightly to $96.12 from $92.96.
B.C. Ferries traffic was also basically unchanged through to the end of May, with a 0.86 per cent dip in passengers. There was a one per cent drop in ferried vehicles and a 0.04 per cent increase in bus traffic on its most popular route between Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay.
Victoria International Airport was again into positive territory in 2017, as new flights helped it increase passenger volume. Through the end of May, there were 744,179 passengers through its gates — a 6.7 per cent increase over the same time in 2016.
Cruise-ship numbers were also up, with 43 ships having called into Victoria by the end of May, compared with 39 at this time last year. Those ships brought 96,687 passengers, an increase of 15 per cent, and 40,508 crew, also a 15 per cent jump.