Victoria Leader, market manager international with Destination Vancouver, says the city and its surrounds are already seeing New Zealanders extend their stay to three or four nights (up from an average of two) and expects the new Recouver in Vancouver tagline to resonate.
While admitting some people may find the line a bit corny Leader says it accurately reflects the feeling of recovery that people feel after time spent in the destination. It is built on the idea that visitors leave Vancouver feeling more energised and rejuvenated that when they arrived.
‘It is a walkable city with nature all around, good food, scenery and opportunities to relax.’
She says there is plenty of potential for the New Zealand trade to promote Vancouver and British Columbia as a place more New Zealanders should visit.
‘It has been a positive year for Vancouver, with New Zealand up 6% year-on-year. Most of that is directly attributed to the World Cup. From Australia the momentum has gone beyond that and the increase is 17%, so we definitely think there are opportunities to attract more visitors from New Zealand.’
She says Kiwis were particularly welcome visitors during the FIFA event. ‘We created a pedestrian zone for the World Cup and a lot of locals went there to mix with the Australian and New Zealand fans. It really helped strengthen our relationship with our Commonwealth cousins.’
Leader feels that encouraging Kiwi clients to discover BC pre or post cruising is an obvious avenue for agents here.
‘We’ve had 30% more capacity in cruise this year so that’s an opportunity to spend some time exploring the city and experiencing how the locals live as well as seeing the attractions.’
