Victoria’s tourism sector is nearing pre-pandemic levels this summer, but there’s still more work that needs to be done.
Paul Nursey, CEO of Destination Greater Victoria, says post-pandemic tourism success depends on the industry.
“Some segments of businesses such as hotels, and some restaurants, and some tour companies are almost back to 2019 numbers and in some cases above,” Nursey told CHEK News.
“There’s other segments such as our ferry operators, large attractions, that rely more on international travellers that, of course, haven’t fully recovered.”
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The Victoria Bug Zoo is a popular attraction for tourists visiting internationally, with 80 per cent of the zoo’s revenue coming from tourists visiting during peak seasons.
General manager Jaymie Chudiak says the zoo has stayed resilient throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We were open the whole pandemic and it was a challenge, to say the least, but it’s been really great to have like actual tourism again,” said Chudiak.
While she says the zoo has seen better business this summer relative to the past two, it’s not quite at pre-pandemic numbers yet.
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Mohammed Hussain
