Tourism
Annual Employment in Accommodation and Food Services
Accommodation and food services is the sector that is most closely related to the overall tourism sector. Growth has been strong in Greater Victoria, totaling a 16% increased in employment from 2003 to 2008 compared to only 6% growth in Metro Vancouver and 12% growth in BC overall.
Annual employment data by sector is from Statistics Canada's Labour Force Survey (LFS). Because it is based on a survey, the results include sampling error and may vary somewhat year to year due to random variations as opposed to real changes in annual sector employment.
Caution is therefore advised for interpreting changes on a year over year basis. Sustained trends over longer time periods are considerably more valid.
|
Employment in Accommodation & Food Services (000) |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
Growth 07-08 |
Growth 03-08 |
|
BC |
159.4 |
175.3 |
175.8 |
170.5 |
172.7 |
178.1 |
3% |
12% |
|
Greater Victoria |
15.2 |
16.4 |
17.1 |
15.8 |
16.5 |
17.7 |
7% |
16% |
|
Metro Vancouver |
81.3 |
86.9 |
86.5 |
86.9 |
89.8 |
86.1 |
-4% |
6% |
| Source: Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey. Reported by BC Stats | ||||||||
Visitor Flows and Expenditures
Airport passenger traffic has grown consistently over the past six years as has revenue per room. The number of cruise ships arriving has shown year-over-year increases in all but one of the last six years as has the hotel occupancy rate.
The number of convention delegate days at the Victoria conference centre declined 21% in 2008 relative to 2007 after showing consistent growth since 2003. This is likely related to the weakening in the US economy during the year.
Reported daily expenditure per visitor grew 8% between 2003 and 2007 and was stable in 2008.
Conference centre delegate days, airport passengers, cruise ships and hotel room revenue all measure the flow of visitors to the region.
Hotel occupancy rates and revenue per room also reflect the level of visitation, but are affected by the addition or loss of hotel rooms that changes the local supply.
Daily expenditure per person, based on exit surveys, is a measure of the contribution of visitors to the local economy.
|
Tourism Indicator |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
Growth 07-08 |
Growth 03-08 |
|
Cruise Ship Arrivals |
118 |
139 |
142 |
184 |
154 |
212 |
38% |
80% |
|
Victoria Conference Centre Delegate Days |
107,675 |
110,986 |
110,900 |
117,919 |
136,908 |
107,533 |
-21% |
0% |
|
Victoria Airport Passengers |
1,182,821 |
1,249,976 |
1,318,395 |
1,390,128 |
1,481,606 |
1,538,417 |
4% |
30% |
|
Hotel Occupancy Rate |
63% |
65% |
67% |
67% |
68% |
65% |
-4% |
3% |
|
Hotel Room Revenue ($000) |
$154,079 |
$167,124 |
$174,648 |
$180,246 |
$190,750 |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
|
Revenue per room ($000) |
$17.89 |
$18.41 |
$19.10 |
$18.92 |
$21.41 |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
|
Daily Expenditure per Person |
$117 |
$122 |
$121 |
$119 |
$126 |
$126 |
0% |
8% |
| Source: Chemistry Consulting, BC Stats, Tourism Victoria Annual Exit Survey | ||||||||
BC Ferries Passenger Counts
Ferry traffic had its biggest decline in the last seven years between 2007 and 2008. Passenger traffic and vehicle traffic declined by 6% while bus traffic fell by 11%.
Over the period of 2002-2008, bus traffic steadily declined while vehicle and passenger traffic fluctuated in the +/-3% range.
Ferry traffic is an indicator of visitor flows at is the primary means of moving people between Greater Victoria and the mainland.
|
Ferry Traffic at Swartz Bay |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
Change 2007 to 2008 |
Change 2003 to 2008 |
|
BC Ferries Vehicle Counts |
1,869,169 |
1,933,277 |
1,916,853 |
1,908,005 |
1,955,211 |
1,835,413 |
-6% |
-2% |
|
BC Ferries Passenger Traffic |
5,968,092 |
6,245,878 |
6,141,662 |
6,048,413 |
6,136,240 |
5,775,474 |
-6% |
-3% |
|
BC Ferries Bus Traffic |
30,978 |
35,418 |
35,037 |
31,957 |
30,267 |
26,889 |
-11% |
-13% |
| Source: Victoria Tourism Bulletin. Prepared by Chemistry Consulting. | ||||||||
Tourist Activities
Outdoor activities are among the most popular attractions for visitors to Greater Victoria. This is consistent across all three segments sampled - traveling by ferry with a vehicle, traveling by air and traveling by foot.
Greater shares of those traveling by foot report visiting paid attractions such as the Royal BC Museum and Butchart Gardens. Attendance at theatre/concerts and galleries/exhibits were reported by greater shares of air travelers
Over the period of 2004-2008 there was a notable upward trend in the percentage of visitors participating in walking/hiking, visiting parks and attending theatre/concerts. Declines were observed in the percentage of visitors going to galleries/exhibits and Butchart Gardens.
What tourists are doing when they visit an area provides insight into opportunities for investment or marketing and the relative importance of attractions.
Due to the sampling method, total shares as reported here should be used for relative ranking purposes. Details on share by segment of visitor are available and the results can be generalized to the population of the segment.
|
Percentage of Visitor Groups Reporting Activities |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
Change 2004 to 2008 |
|
Walking/Hiking |
62% |
64% |
60% |
64% |
68% |
6 pp |
|
Visited Parks |
39% |
39% |
37% |
41% |
43% |
4 pp |
|
Historical Sites |
30% |
30% |
29% |
29% |
31% |
2 pp |
|
Beaches |
28% |
30% |
29% |
26% |
30% |
2 pp |
|
Butchart Gardens |
33% |
28% |
25% |
25% |
28% |
-4 pp |
|
Royal BC Museum |
24% |
20% |
19% |
28% |
23% |
-1 pp |
|
Festivals/Events |
10% |
13% |
8% |
6% |
11% |
2 pp |
|
Galleries/Exhibits |
18% |
16% |
15% |
13% |
11% |
-7 pp |
|
Theatre/Concerts |
6% |
6% |
5% |
8% |
9% |
3 pp |
|
Whale Watching |
8% |
8% |
7% |
7% |
8% |
0 pp |
|
Golf |
6% |
7% |
6% |
6% |
7% |
1 pp |
|
Cycling |
3% |
4% |
3% |
3% |
4% |
0 pp |
|
Fishing |
4% |
4% |
3% |
3% |
3% |
-1 pp |
|
Kayak/Canoeing |
3% |
3% |
4% |
2% |
3% |
0 pp |
| Source: Tourism Victoria Annual Exit Surveys | ||||||