VICTORIA – Victoria has been ranked as the 7th Best City in the World by the latest Condé Nast Traveler’s readers’ poll, released Oct. 17.
Victoria placed ahead of global tourism leaders such as Paris, London and Barcelona and is nestled among the some of the hottest spots for experiential travel in the world, such as Kyoto, Japan and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
“This is a huge deal, though most people, including civic leaders, won’t grasp just how important this this,” says Tourism Victoria President and CEO Paul Nursey. “Tourism marketing is all about creating a deep brand connection with prospective customers. This ranking signals without doubt that Victoria has arrived as a global experiential tourism brand.
“The key drivers of this are strong re-investment in product in recent years, an increasingly vibrant community for visitors to experience and ongoing, strong tourism marketing and publicity. Add it all up and the world is starting to learn about how special Greater Victoria’s truly is as place to live, work and visit.”
“In the 21st century, people are looking for places for experiences when they travel,” says Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps. “With our vibrant downtown, booming arts and culture sector and easy access to nature, Victoria is an increasingly attractive place to visit.”
Victoria’s accommodation sector also scored extremely well in the reader’s poll with the Magnolia Hotel and Spa voted the second favourite hotel in Canada, while The Fairmont Empress was seventh.
“These results, directly from Condé Nast Traveler’s readership, are a testament to the quality, luxury, amenity and service that our visitors are experiencing in Victoria,” says Bill Lewis, Chair of Tourism Victoria, and General Manager of the Magnolia Hotel and Spa.
“Combined with the great experiential tourism opportunities in our Greater Victoria region, the hotel community is pleased to be doing its part to help raise our level and put Greater Victoria on the global map.”
Condé Nast Traveler readers cast more than 100,000 votes for their favoUrite cities in the world (outside the U.S.) in the 2016 Readers’ Choice Awards survey.
