Victoria tourism appears to be rebounding after years in the doldrums now that sunny weather has arrived.
“I think we are on a roll here,” tourism consultant Frank Bourree said on Wednesday.
“May was good. June was fantastic. July is even better and August bookings are really strong,” said Bourree, a partner in Chemistry Consulting.
“It’s a combination of the economy coming around in the U.S. and Canada, the great weather and pent-up demand for travel. People have been restrained for the last four or five years,” he said.
Average daily room rates were $132.93 in May, up from $125.59 for the same month last year, Bourree said. May hotel occupancy rates of 68.76 per cent were slightly below the 68.84 per cent recorded in May 2012.
Higher-end properties performed better than mid-range and lower-tier hotels, Bourree said.
Hotels showed “amazing” occupancy results for June, running about 10 points higher than May, with room rates up about $5, he said.
A bonus is that hotels have avoided a rate war. “In the last three or four years, they have gotten into a rate war in late May or June. One hotel would lead with a discount and the rest would be forced to follow. That’s not happening this year. So the hotels are actually making money.”
As for restaurants, those with patios are “doing really, really well,” he said.
Bourree predicts that the number of American visitors — a crucial part of the local industry — will show an increase when Statistics Canada releases its next border-crossing report in late summer.
Greater Victoria’s tourism sector was hit hard by the economic slump in recent years and changing travel patterns.
There’s less certainty because more tourists are inclined to make last-minute, weather-dependent decisions on whether to visit a destination. When they do show up, it is often for shorter stays than in years past.
“I think we are seeing a different kind of tourist than what we used to. They are a little more cost-conscious,” Bourree said.
Don Fennerty, manager of the Fairmont Empress hotel, said occupancy has been “very positive,” and revenue is up from last year.
He declined to release occupancy numbers but said, “June continued to be strong. We continue to see visitors from different destinations, which was great.”
Fennerty anticipates the strength will run into the fall.
On Wednesday, Edmonton residents Jay Berlinguette and Sherwin Pena were among the visitors boosting this year’s tourism numbers. Their tour of the town included the Royal B.C. Museum, the legislature, Butchart Gardens, the Fairmont Empress and a whale-watching trip.
Berlinguette, who has visited Victoria before, was saddened to find that the Royal London Wax Museum closed in 2010. “It was something that I loved to see.”
