Hospitality And Tourism Rescue And Recovery Archives

Chamber supports airport’s plan to grow business

July 17, 2025/in BizNews This Week, Business And Economic Strength, Hospitality And Tourism Rescue And Recovery/by Jim Zeeben

The Victoria Airport Authority is hoping to speed up its growth as a major economic contributor to our region. In 2023, the airport released a Master Plan for the next 20 years. However, as passenger arrivals and departures surge, the airport says the time is now to invest in its future.

Airport Authority President and CEO Elizabeth Brown told CHEK News that June was 5% busier than the same month last year.

“That’s a significant amount of more passengers. We will exceed two million passengers this year,” Brown told CHEK. “We feel that currently this terminal is not equipped to be able to handle this passenger level that we have today. So we have to look at immediate solves and also long-term planning.”

Among the projects under consideration are expanded capacity for people waiting to board flights.

“Having the expansion to allow more growth in tourism, as well as for locals, is great for Greater Victoria’s economy,” Chamber CEO John Wilson told CHEK.

Construction begins on first downtown hotel in 20 years

July 17, 2025/in BizNews This Week, Government Local, Hospitality And Tourism Rescue And Recovery/by Jim Zeeben

Six years after The Chamber signaled its support for a new hotel in downtown Victoria, work finally began this week.

The new eight-storey Hyatt-branded hotel will have 167-rooms. It’s located at Broad and Johnson streets and expected to be completed by 2028.

Chard Development began working on the the project before the pandemic and was supported by The Chamber through letters and presentations to the City of Victoria.

Once built, the hotel will add about $14.9 million to our region’s economy and provide accommodations for almost 100,000 people every year. About 200 people will be needed to work at the hotel once operational, and more than 460 jobs will be created during construction.

The site of the new hotel will include walls and facades that date back to as far as 131-years-ago.

Deuce Days returns to Greater Victoria next week

July 9, 2025/in BizNews This Week, Hospitality And Tourism Rescue And Recovery/by Jim Zeeben

One of our region’s most spectacular events is returning next week for the first time since 2022. The 11th edition of Northwest Deuce Days runs July 17-20. It is known as the world’s largest gathering of 1932 Fords — nicknamed Deuces and beloved for their distinctive front grill — as well as many more pre-1952 vehicles.

The gathering of classic cars creates a movie-set-like vibe on the region’s streets, with the mellifluous rumble of hundreds of hot rods serving as the soundtrack.

The festival, supported by Destination Greater Victoria, opens with a welcome ceremony at 2:15 pm, July 17, as the MV Coho arrives in the Inner Harbour.

For more information on the event, go to tourismvictoria.com.

Rifflandia teams up with Greater Victoria businesses

July 2, 2025/in BizNews This Week, Business And Economic Strength, Hospitality And Tourism Rescue And Recovery/by Jim Zeeben

Greater Victoria’s preeminent festival experience celebrates its 15th anniversary this year, with four days of music and fun set for the end of summer.

Rifflandia will run Sept. 11–14, at Matullia Lands at Rock Bay (corner of Pembroke and Government streets).

“More than ever, people are looking for ways to connect, to share experiences, and to feel something real together — and that’s what Rifflandia is all about,” Rifflandia Entertainment Co. President and CEO Nick Blasko said. “We know a lot of people are feeling the pinch right now, so we’ve kept ticket prices at last year’s levels and packed in even more.”

The Chamber is once again partnering with Rifflandia to help build connections with our business community. The RiffSclusive Deals program is a promotional campaign connecting local brands with tens of thousands of music and culture fans from Aug. 1 to Sept. 14. Participating businesses are featured on Rifflandia’s festival website, direct-to-inbox newsletters and online engagement. Only 20 spots are available. Email Morgan Sutherland at morgan@rifflandia.com to learn more.

Rifflandia is also running its “Give Where You Riff” campaign, which includes Chamber members: DVBA, Victoria Cool Aid Society, Victoria Conservatory of Music, Victoria Hospitals Foundation, Victoria Pride Society, Women in Need (WIN Resale Shops), Burnside Gorge Community Association and Victoria West Community Association.

The campaign will help those organizations by donating 15% of every ticket sold.

BC Ferries announces more details for new vessels

June 12, 2025/in BizNews This Week, Business And Economic Strength, Chamber Awareness, Climate Change Solutions, Government Provincial, Hospitality And Tourism Rescue And Recovery, Transportation Options/by Jim Zeeben

The Chamber is a strong supporter of the work BC Ferries does as a vital transportation and supply chain link for Greater Victoria.

“Our organizations have a very good relationship and we are encouraged by the business-minded approach BC Ferries takes to its long-term feasibility and sustainability,” Chamber CEO Bruce Williams said, who spoke today about the decision on CFAX as well as with the Canadian Press. “We know yesterday’s announcement about selecting the builder for new ships was a very well-informed decision, and we’re hopeful that we will still see a much needed fifth ship added to this proposal.”

BC Ferries announced China Merchants Industry Weihai Shipyards will build four new vessels to replace four aging ships nearing the end of their service lives, each increasingly prone to mechanical issues and service disruptions.

“CMI Weihai is a global leader in passenger ferry construction, and shipbuilding more broadly,” BC Ferries CEO Nicolas Jimenez said. “It was the clear choice based on the overall strength of its bid, including its technical capabilities, high-quality and safety standards, ferry-building experience, proven ability to deliver safe, reliable vessels on dependable timelines, and the overall cost and value it delivers for our customers — all essential as we continue to experience growing demand and the urgent need to renew our aging fleet.”

BC Ferries said, in the first 10 years of their operation, the new vessels will inject $230 million locally on refits and scheduled maintenance. Over their expected 45-year lifespans, the ships are expected to spur 17,200 job-years of employment and $1.2 billion in wages, contributing $2.2 billion to BC’s GDP.

The new vessels will be more spacious, have reduced emissions and be significantly quieter underwater to better protect marine life.

Research shows value of tourism sector on the Island

June 4, 2025/in BizNews This Week, Hospitality And Tourism Rescue And Recovery/by Jim Zeeben

It’s National Tourism Week and Destination BC has released new tourism profiles for tourism across the province.

“In 2022, travellers in the Vancouver Island tourism region were hosted by 2,700 tourism businesses and 26,300 tourism employees,” the profile for Vancouver Island states. “Collectively, the tourism industry generated $3.2 billion of gross spending in the region, accounting for approximately 18% of BC’s total overnight spending.”

The report looks at government investment in tourism on the Island, as well as how the sector has evolved over 10 years. The top source of visitors in 2023 were other residents of BC, at 50%, followed by Alberta (14%), Ontario (8%) and Washington (4%).

A 2024 survey found 85% of Island residents said tourism supports local business, though about 40% said summers bring “too many” tourists. That sentiment drops to 7% in fall, 9.3% in spring and 4.3% in winter.

Businesses bear burden of loosening sick day rules

April 17, 2025/in BizNews This Week, Fair Rules, Finding And Keeping Workers, Government Provincial, Hospitality And Tourism Rescue And Recovery, Inflation And Rising Costs, Safe Communities/by Jim Zeeben

A cost to employers rooted in the pandemic is now further ingrained in law after the provincial government moved to ban the requirement for doctor’s notes when employees take sick days.

“Businesses would have liked to have had more of a say on this policy,” Chamber CEO Bruce Williams said. “It’s one thing for the public sector to make this a requirement for its employees, but to force it on the private sector overlooks a lot of concerns we hear from members.”

Organizations understand the benefit of supporting their workers, especially in Greater Victoria with one of the lowest unemployment rates in Canada. During the pandemic, employers went to great lengths to support staff who were ill as well as to keep workers safe from infection. However, legislating paid sick days is a cost that is not covered by government. This additional burden on business adds up, especially at time when many organizations are facing lower margins.

“Most Chamber members I talk to have great relationships with their staff and go out of their way to help when needed,” Williams said. “But many are rightfully concerned that this change will create confusion and could incentivize abuse of the rules and potentially force employers to provide more paid days off work.”

Savings at the fuel pump welcomed by business

April 2, 2025/in BizNews This Week, Business And Economic Strength, Climate Change Solutions, Food Security, Government Federal, Government Provincial, Hospitality And Tourism Rescue And Recovery/by Jim Zeeben

The cost of fueling up at the pump has plummeted after the provincial government removed the carbon tax. Gas prices dropped below $1.60/litre yesterday — about 19 cents lower than they were the day before the tax was removed.

The lower fuel costs are welcome news to businesses that move goods and people.

“We hear from many struggling businesses and families so anything that unburdens them is needed right now,” Chamber CEO Bruce Williams said, noting that The Chamber offers members many benefits, including fuel discounts.

Century Celebration of Cup victory begins this week

March 26, 2025/in BizNews This Week, Chamber Awareness, Government Provincial, Hospitality And Tourism Rescue And Recovery/by Jim Zeeben

The Century Celebration of the Victoria Cougars’ historic victory over the Montreal Canadians begins March 27. Three musical finalists — selected from 31 entries to a songwriting contest honouring the 1925 Stanley Cup win — kick things off by performing their original songs at the Bard and Banker.

Festivities continue on March 29-30, with family friendly events, including the highly anticipated return of the Cup for public viewing on Sunday at the Oak Bay Recreation Centre.

Century Celebration festivities centre around the old location of Patrick Arena — a former stadium in the District of Oak Bay where the 1925 Cougars clinched the cup championship. There is no parking onsite for this event. A park-and-ride shuttle, courtesy of Wilson’s Transportation, will run every 30 minutes between Oak Bay Marina and the festival site from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

The events are being put on by the Victoria Hockey Legacy Society, which hosted Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada in January 2024. The Chamber helped make that event a success, providing a direct boost to business and priceless promotion of our region. Hockey Day was also co-winner of Event of the Year at the Greater Victoria Sports Awards, announced last month.

For the latest on events and activities happening for the Century Celebration, go to vhls.ca.

Shifting cruise shuttle stop will help area businesses

February 26, 2025/in BizNews This Week, Chamber Awareness, Fair Rules, Government Local, Hospitality And Tourism Rescue And Recovery/by Jim Zeeben

The Chamber helped advocate for a small change that will have a big benefit for many downtown businesses. After explaining the concerns of having cruise ship shuttles stop short of Government Street’s retail core, the party’s involved agreed to shift to the 900 block.

The change takes place April 4. It required the approval of City of Victoria staff, the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority and Pacific Northwest Transportation Services.

“We heard concerns from merchants that the buses were letting cruise ship passengers off before they could discover Government Street to its fullest,” Chamber CEO Bruce Williams said. “Instead of enjoying the area’s shops, cafes and restaurants, it seems passengers were staying in the area they were dropped off. We worked alongside Destination Greater Victoria and the Downtown Victoria Business Association to address this challenge.”

The new stop was chosen for safety and logistics, as well as its benefit to downtown businesses. About 160,000 cruise passengers used the shuttle service last year, while other passengers chose organized tours or other methods to get into the city.