168 replies to this topic

[A Girl is No one]

we’ll CBC has a national article.

Do you have a link by any chance?
I’m trying to explain what is going on in my city to my friends back east so it would be nice to point to a published piece...

[Victoria Watcher]

Do you have a link by any chance?
I’m trying to explain what is going on in my city to my friends back east so it would be nice to point to a published piece...

 

https://www.cbc.ca/n...chase-1.5571438

 

https://www.cbc.ca/n...-help-1.5276403

 

https://www.cbc.ca/n...using-1.5537060

 

https://www.cbc.ca/n...roups-1.5269447

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 30 May 2020 - 08:55 AM.

[Nparker]

If I were Nanaimo, I'd be taking the current shut down of the Ogden Point port (and Victoria's declining reputation for tourism) as an opportunity to promote itself to the cruise lines as a viable Jones Act stop on the Alaska itineraries for next year and beyond.

[Casual Kev]

There’s that. And there are expats who are seeing their social media feeds from friends and family who live here.

A high school friend recently reached out to me to ask if what he was reading was true, and if I could fill in the gaps. There’s a collective “what the heck is going on in Victoria?” wonderment out there.

 

In orders of magnitude, our problems are laughable in comparison to most of the world's destinations. How many Canadians flock to Mexico every year? Most of us also seem to have a negative perception of safety and public order in the US, yet even with the weak CDN dollar we have no qualms going everywhere from California to NYC. 

 

I get mad at some of the stuff that happens here but in a way I'm glad I can complain about city council encouraging tent cities, instead of mass shooters or cartel wars. Every city in the world will have a percentage of denizens who think the problems in their town are the worst things ever no matter how they stack up.

Edited by Casual Kev, 30 May 2020 - 05:23 PM.

[Mike K.]

We’re better than many other places on earth, therefore the people assaulted on our streets, robbed in our homes, burglarized and impacted by criminality locally should check their pain, fear and suffering because we're not the Bronx?

[Nparker]

But considering how small Victoria is, our problems seem more significant.

[Casual Kev]

We’re better than many other places on earth, therefore the people assaulted on our streets, robbed in our homes, burglarized and impacted by criminality locally should check their pain, fear and suffering because we're not the Bronx?

 

The conversation is about Victoria's prospects as a touristic destination. I'm not minimizing the problems we have. But when it comes to deciding whether we're worthy of a visit or not, having the problems we have barely register relative to other global destinations. 

[Mike K.]

Nobody compares us to the worst places on earth.

But they just might compare us with Kelowna or Nanaimo. If you’ve got an extra day or two in your Vancouver itinerary where would you rather go? That’s the point at which image matters.

[A Girl is No one]

And honestly, what is the attraction left in Victoria? No more garden city, it’s dirty and grimy, stores are mostly boarded up. It’s not a pleasant experience with people screaming at you or shooting up in broad day light. Other larger cities may get away with it but our city core is too small to carry this and maintain a healthy tourist attraction.
I can see people coming to the island for the natural beauty but totally avoid Victoria.

[Casual Kev]

Nobody compares us to the worst places on earth.

But they just might compare us with Kelowna or Nanaimo. If you’ve got an extra day or two in your Vancouver itinerary where would you rather go? That’s the point at which image matters.

 

Fair observation. I don't think issues at Topaz Park or Douglas/Quadra are so overwhelming that people would literally avoid Victoria for Nanaimo, though - not downplaying our provincial brethren, but the image of "quaintness" as well as upscale seaside retirement destinations (James Bay, Oak Bay, Songhees, etc.) can't really be replicated anywhere else. A new tent city going up in front of Parliament, though...

[Mike K.]

And that’s the issue. The image of quaintness has been replaced with a more cosmopolitan city, but alongside social strife. Our 21st century self is tethered to a litany of problems and people are noticing.

[aastra]

 

If I were Nanaimo, I'd be taking the current shut down of the Ogden Point port (and Victoria's declining reputation for tourism) as an opportunity to promote itself to the cruise lines as a viable Jones Act stop on the Alaska itineraries for next year and beyond.

 

I can imagine the hype around this. Cruise ship visits in Nanaimo are up by 150%! Because they increased from two ships in a year to five ships in a year.

 

Nanaimo was expecting three cruise ships in 2019 but got only two. They were expecting six ships in 2020.

 

But anyway, if cruise ship visits to Victoria decrease or even plummet, that would be good, right? All that stuff about how terrible the cruise ships are?*

 

*no, all eventualities related to cruise ships are bad

[Nparker]

...if cruise ship visits to Victoria decrease or even plummet, that would be good, right? All that stuff about how terrible the cruise ships are?*

 

*no, all eventualities related to cruise ships are bad

To be clear, I very much like the cruise ship visits at Ogden Point and the revenue they bring. It saddens me they won't be here in 2020. Nevertheless, there is a vocal local (lol) contingent* who no doubt is delighted that this year's cruise ship season will not happen. Who could blame other nearby cities for wanting to take advantage of Victoria's indifference/hostility toward the industry?

 

*both in James Bay and on Council

[aastra]

It's funny, what if Nanaimo and Campbell River actually had been able to get some small piece of the cruise ship pie? Wouldn't that have been win-win for everyone? The eternally patient and reasonable people of James Bay could have celebrated because it would have reduced the traffic at Ogden Point by some percentage. Folks up island could have celebrated because they needed the ships. Seriously, there's no way the authorities could have made that happen to some small degree? Not even by buying it outright?

[Victoria Watcher]

buying nanaimo?

[tanker]

I kind of hope Victoria declines as a tourist destination. It'd be good to return to the 1990s economy here where getting even a part time minimum wage job was hard. It's basically what Victoria residents have voted for time and time again.

[aastra]

 

buying nanaimo?

 

Buying cooperation from the cruise lines. But you're right, buying Nanaimo might be cheaper.

[Jackerbie]

I kind of hope Victoria declines as a tourist destination. It'd be good to return to the 1990s economy here where getting even a part time minimum wage job was hard. It's basically what Victoria residents have voted for time and time again.

 

Wasn't the 90s when the BC economy slumped behind the rest of Canada? That said, a major contributing factor was a real estate crash and the resulting decline in new housing starts, so, yes, that's exactly what many Victoria residents seem to be hoping for!

[Victoria Watcher]

Wilson’s not alone – nearly 22,000 south Island workers have been laid off due to the pandemic, said Paul Nursey, CEO of Destination Greater Victoria. He added that about 40 per cent of residents work in the tourism industry in some way.

 

___________________________

 

On May 27, Premier John Horgan extended the provincial state of emergency by two weeks, stating that there’s “no end in sight.” This comment had the tourism industry quaking, Wilson said.

 

The entire tourism season – May through September – will be lost, Wilson said, noting that thousands rely on summer revenue to pay their winter bills.

 

“We can’t wait any longer” for provincial or federal aid, he said, adding that without a tourism-specific relief package in the next 14 to 30 days, B.C. could be seeing the “decimation” of an industry that brings in more than $2 billion to Greater Victoria alone.

 

Wilson hopes to see a package that provides the industry with funds in the form of grants or interest-free loans to ensure that businesses are still in operation when the tourists eventually return.

 

https://www.vicnews....-financial-aid/

 

 

 

 

not so sure about that 40% figure.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 04 June 2020 - 05:49 AM.

[Mike K.]

It’s $2 billion now? Wasn’t it about $1 billion not that long ago?

I’m not saying it isn’t that high, but I’d really like to see how they arrive at the 40% and $2 billion marks.