Morgan Cross / B次元官网网址 contributor
Compared to 2016B次元官网网址檚 consistently warm spring, things were off to a bleak start for Oak Bay Beach Hotel this year in lead-up to tourist season. With wet, cold weather lingering far longer than usual, bookings were low during the spring and, as director of sales and marketing Madone Pelan said, B次元官网网址渘o one was really thinking about summer.B次元官网网址�
Pelan cited the slow start to summer as the first reason she didnB次元官网网址檛 expect the 2017 season to boom. The rise in and continually extended provincial state-of-emergency, she cited as the other.
B次元官网网址淲ith the state of emergency and forest fires, thereB次元官网网址檚 a lot of misinformation out there about British Columbia as a destination B次元官网网址� especially for peope who donB次元官网网址檛 know B.C. well, and donB次元官网网址檛 know that Vancouver Island is relatively untouched,B次元官网网址� said Pelan.
However, despite the wet, cold start and the misperceptions surrounding areas in B.C. affected by forest fires, this yearB次元官网网址檚 revenues , which was already a record-breaking year.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e pacing just slightly ahead of 2016B次元官网网址檚 overall revenues,B次元官网网址� Pelan said. B次元官网网址淕iven that weB次元官网网址檝e had a slow start and that there is a state of emergency in British Columbia, we feel weB次元官网网址檝e had an extraordinary summer.B次元官网网址�
As for where all the guests are coming from, Pelan said thereB次元官网网址檚 a stronger Canadian and American presence than in most years. Peak season, being summer, is typically when the hotel sees many travellers from outside of North America. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e seeing a lot of Canadians coming west, perhaps opting out of the U.S. this year. WeB次元官网网址檙e also seeing very strong American travellers,B次元官网网址� said Pelan, though American bookings have tended to be hesitantly booked, short-term ones compared to their international counterparts.
Travellers outside of the U.S. and Canada have come mostly from Great Britain, Germany, Switzerland, China, and the Netherlands this summer.
The Avenue Gallery also noted the influx in American travellers.
B次元官网网址淚 think that because of the strong U.S. dollar, people are looking to maximize their dollar value,B次元官网网址� said owner Heather Wheeler said, adding the gallery has seen a mix of people from all across Canada.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e having our best year weB次元官网网址檝e ever had in 15 years,B次元官网网址� said Wheeler. She credits the influx in visitors to the rise in usage of Hop-On Hop-Off CitySights tours, the red busses which make their way around some of Greater VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 most popular regions, including Oak Bay Village, where the Avenue Gallery is located.
B次元官网网址淭he bus has been running for a number of years, but for some reason, there seems to be more awareness about Oak Bay,B次元官网网址� said Wheeler. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e had lots of people say they found Oak Bay on the bus.B次元官网网址�
She expects that a lot of Oak BayB次元官网网址檚 newfound popularity is due to word of mouth. B次元官网网址淸Tourism] is on an upward trend for sure. As awareness builds, as people get home from their vacations and talk to their neighbours B次元官网网址� ThereB次元官网网址檚 a buzz that just continues to feed itself.B次元官网网址�
Pelan is optimistic about an upward trend for the Oak Bay Beach Hotel as well. Already, many business meetings have been booked in Vancouver for next year, meaning that overflow business will likely enter Victoria. B次元官网网址淏arring anything unforeseen happening, it should go well.B次元官网网址�
