Victoria’s tourism season is starting on a strong note as hotels report healthy bookings for May and June and the Vikings exhibition at the Royal B.C. Museum is expected to attract lots of visitors.
“That’s going to give us a nice push,” Frank Bourree, a principal of Chemistry Consulting, said Friday. “I think it is going to be a great year.”
Restaurant business is starting to pick up, something Bourree considers a reliable bellwether for tourism and for the overall economy. Tourists want locally grown food and offerings such as local wine, he said. “They really want to experience the surrounding area, the culture. The foodies certainly are interested in that.”
On another positive note, Statistics Canada reported that the number of visitors from China to Canada showed the greatest rate of growth, followed by those from Mexico, Bourree said.
The average occupancy of Victoria hotel rooms was up in March by 1.5 per cent over March 2013, Bourree said in his monthly tourism report. Bookings are strong for this month and next, he said.
Also, the average daily room rate was up by $5.18 in March, compared with the same month last year.
At the Belleville Street museum, Vikings: Lives Beyond the Legends runs May 16 to Nov. 11, showcasing hundreds of artifacts. It’s the first North American stop for the display, a joint venture of the Swedish History Museum in Sweden and MuseumsPartner in Austria.
Vikings have captured the popular imagination. A Vikings historical drama series is running on the History television channel. Museum visitors will also be able to take in the Imax film Vikings: Journey to New Worlds.
The cruise ship season is also off to a good start, Bourree said. This year 207 ship visits are planned. Vessels will be carrying more than 450,000 passengers and crew members. On Thursday, the Zaandam was the first ship to arrive in Victoria this year.
Victoria Harbour is packed this weekend with vessels for the annual Victoria Harbour Boat Show, another attraction for visitors. The event, which continues Sunday, is “another one of the festivals that helps add colour to downtown,” Bourree said.
