With the tourism market having been somewhat sluggish in 2011, U.S. travel agents’ choice of Vancouver as a top Canadian travel destination could give the sector a welcome boost in British Columbia.
“It certainly can’t hurt,” says Stephen Pearce, vice-president of leisure travel and digital marketing at Tourism Vancouver.
“We know that travel agents—particularly in the mid-long-haul U.S.—are incredibly important in terms of influencing people’s opinion of where to travel. So if they become fans of Vancouver they become ambassadors for us. They’re a really critical tactic for us to continue to work with and cultivate.”
Accredited U.S. travel agents who read travel trade publication Travel Weekly voted Vancouver the best destination in Canada for the ninth year in a row in the publication’s Readers’ Choice Awards.
The awards are widely recognized as reflecting the professional opinion of travel agents who not only travel themselves, but also hear feedback every day from their clients.
“This kind of profile is great, because this publication goes out to tens of thousands of agents on a weekly basis and they’re nominating destinations that their customers are telling them they’re getting exceptional experiences in. So we’re really pleased to get that distinction,” says Pearce.
Overnight visitors to Vancouver spent almost $4 billion in 2010.
“If they become passionate about Vancouver then they’re in a much better position to influence their customers than anything we could do through our advertising.”
Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson said the rating is a great way for the city to end its 125th birthday celebrations in 2011.
“The city is already renowned for its natural beauty and vibrant culture, and this award shows that we also have some of the best hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions in Canada. We will continue to build on our world-class reputation in the years to come and ensure that Vancouver remains a favoured destination among travellers worldwide.”
And just what exactly is it that Americans like about Vancouver?
“We’re about 1,000 different things to a 1,000 different people,” says Pearce.
“We profile what we have that is spectacular, which is the proximity of the forest, the mountains, the ocean, and a very ethnically diverse community. Now, each of those things other destinations can lay claim to, but we have an intimacy about that juxtaposition of those things here that makes it really special.”
The Travel Weekly award is the latest in a list of accolades that Vancouver has received over the years.
Other recent awards include being named one of the world’s most liveable cities (The Economist Intelligence Unit, 2011) and top city in the Americas (Mercer’s annual Quality of Living survey, 2011), Tourism Vancouver said in a press release.
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