(News Release) VICTORIA – With 2015 tourism industry numbers showing significant growth in hotel rates and revenue per available room, and following its 2015 Quarter Two Board of Directors meeting, Tourism Victoria released its 2015 Quarter One (Q1) attributable business results today.
Q1 Industry Results Show Incredible Growth
Chemistry Consulting’s March 2015 Victoria Tourism Bulletin showed an 8.69 per cent increase in average occupancy in the month over the same time last year. Average Daily Room Rate (ADR) and Revenue per Available Room (RevPAR) increased 6.42 per cent and 21.52 per cent respectively. Year-to-date sees occupancy up 7.68 per cent, ADR up 6.54 per cent and RevPAR up 22.53 per cent.
Visitor Centre Q1 Ticket Sales Grow 176 per cent through April
Tourism Victoria helps member businesses in the local community by selling tickets through the Visitor Centre and is pleased to report a 176 per cent increase in ticket sales in April over the same month last year. Year-to-date the Centre has seen a 280 per cent increase over 2014, although the Visitor Centre was closed for renovations in January and the majority of February in 2014.
Romance Campaign Animates Destination and Drives Placements
To drive visitation for the months of January and February, Tourism Victoria reinforced the region’s growing reputation as Canada’s Most Romantic City as voted by Amazon.ca and USA Today with a romance campaign that leveraged the magic of Valentine’s Day in Victoria through inspiring content and digital advertising. Special thanks to the City of Victoria and the Downtown Victoria Business Association who animated the destination with red and pink lighting on Government Street and Kissing Spots around downtown. Tourism Victoria also pushed out romance content to key journalists, resulting in eight media placements including Fox News, which has 48 million views a month.
Victoria Beyond Words Campaign Launches, Surpasses Initial Impressions Metric by 67%
The Victoria Beyond Words campaign launched on April 1, 2015, and takes those exceptional Victoria-esque experiences and creates a distinct language just for them. From Extreme Hogfestation at our local restaurants to Splasherific Gawkerism with our ocean-bound wildlife to Megatronic Playfulism at our local gaming hotspots. In the first month the campaign, which runs until June 1, has surpassed its impressions goal by 67 per cent and surpassed its clicks goal by 118 per cent. The campaign landing page alone has received more than 35,000 visits in just one month. A third-party ad tracking and conversion study will be completed on this campaign to measure results and return on investment. Tourism Victoria engaged a third-party for last year’s Victoria Calling campaign, which yielded a 39:1 ROI, while industry average is 12:1.
Media Relations Team Offers Custom Sneakers to Explore our Walkable Destination
The Media Relations team saw 49 media placements and 30 media visits in Q1. In coordination with the Victoria Beyond Words campaign, the team recently hosted a Kicktastic Medialicious Partypalooza media event in the major market of San Francisco with 20 media in attendance from outlets such as Sunset Magazine and the San Francisco Chronicle. Through a partnership with local business and member Baggins Shoes, the team offered key media custom Converse sneakers they received at the event, complete with a Victoria photo on one side and a photo of their choice on the other. These shoes are available for the general public to order here. Up next the team will host key lifestyle and travel media at an event in Seattle.
Meetings and Incentive Travel Confirms 8.5% More Room Nights through Q1
Tourism Victoria’s Meetings and Incentive Travel team booked 1,433 confirmed room nights through Q1, an 8.5 per cent increase over the same time last year. The team also launched the Victoria, the Idea Capital campaign at the Tete-a-Tete National Conference in Ottawa. Along with eight partner businesses, the group had 110 meeting planners visit the tradeshow booth. Up next the team will continue to rally around the Victoria, the Idea Capital campaign, continuing to work with the Victoria Conference Centre and the local hotel community to drive room nights and promote Victoria as an ideal meetings destination that connects people and stimulates ideas.
Leisure Travel Generates Business for Local Community
In Q1, Tourism Victoria’s Travel Trade team sent 60 leads or referrals to 118 different members, generating business for the local community. Collectively, the team sent a total of 405 member referrals. This metric was not tracked in 2013 and started to be tracked towards the end of 2014. In 2014, the team sent 153 leads to 164 different members, collectively sending a total of 619 member referrals. This is an important focus for Travel Trade for 2015, as generating new leads for member businesses is part of being an accountable and results-driven organization.
Member Cancellations Decrease by 19%
Tourism Victoria works in partnership with more than 800 business members in Greater Victoria and the surrounding areas. The organization recently completed its annual membership renewal process and to-date reports a 19 per cent decrease in member cancellations over 2014. This follows the results of the 2014 Member Survey that for the first time in four years showed an increase in members’ absolute satisfaction in Tourism Victoria, which increased by nine per cent. Ninety-five per cent of the organization’s members are neutral or satisfied.
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