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Victoria’s Hippo tourism buses head to warmer climate

Harry, Happy and Henrietta, the Hippo buses that have been carrying tourists on land and on water in Greater Victoria, are leaving for warmer weather in the Caribbean.
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One of the Hippos — half bus and half boat — meets the Coho ferry from Washington near the entrance to Victoria Harbour last summer.

Harry, Happy and Henrietta, the Hippo buses that have been carrying tourists on land and on water in Greater Victoria, are leaving for warmer weather in the Caribbean.

The 40-passenger amphibious yellow buses decorated with purple hippos first made a splash in Victoria in 2012. The company offered 90-minute tours, starting on land and then heading into the water at the James Bay boat launch.

But the Victoria tourist season isn’t long enough to make the business viable, said Geoff Lind, a major shareholder in Victoria Hippo Tours. Last year, the hippos operated from May 1 to Oct. 1.

That’s why they will be heading for a more tropical destination, where they can operate 12 months of the year, Lind said Monday.

It makes more business sense to operate year-round, he said.

Lind is not revealing a specific destination in the Caribbean.

It was a difficult decision to make, he said. “The people are fantastic. We were very happy in Victoria.”

The buses carried more than 30,000 passengers in 2014, Lind said.

Some of the company’s 16 employees are following the hippos south, he added.

Hippo tours came to Victoria after 12 years in Toronto.

Tourism consultant Frank Bourree agrees with Lind that this area was too seasonal for the business.

The tours offered an interesting and unique experience for visitors, Bourree said.

Tourism officials are anticipating that 2015 will be a banner year for the sector in the capital region. The lower value of the Canadian dollar in relation to the U.S. greenback is expected to be a major factor in boosting tourism numbers.