Nanaimo August 2011
Nanaimo Tourism Bulletin 2011-08
Flat Performance the New Reality?
Victoria and Nanaimo hotels performed reasonably well against summer performance of last year despite declines in Ferry and Airport traffic. Compared to other Canadian cities, Victoria hotels should be thankful to see stability, considering serious declines in the US market and a softening of the economy in Canada.
- In December 2009, China conferred Approved Destination Status on Canada – opening Canada’s doors to Chinese visitors. In 2010, the number of Chinese visitors to B.C. increased by 18.9% compared to 2009. Between January and June 2011, the number of Chinese visitors in B.C. was up 6.9% compared to the same period in 2010.
- Watch for TripAdvisor to play an increasingly important role as a travel influencer as users take advantage of its integration with Facebook to share real-time and personalized travel advice and recommendations with their ‘friends’. The implication for tourism operators is that the quality of a guest’s experience can be immediately communicated to their network of friends – adding to the always important role of “word of mouth” in attracting (or repelling) potential future guests.
