Being ranked as one of Canada’s — and the world's — favourite vacation spots by visitors, it’s easy to understand why Victoria, British Columbia, wears its nickname, “The Garden City” like a badge of honour.
Besides being home to the famous Butchart Gardens, the city also boasts 120 year-round green spaces (including majestic Beacon Hill Park), and, of course, the 1,600 colourful flower baskets that adorn its iconic downtown lampposts each summer. Add in the stunning waterfront views and all the historic architecture, and it’s no wonder tourists from around the globe fall madly in love with Victoria!
Not surprisingly, tourism one of Victoria’s top industries; in fact, (according to Stats Can) with the most restaurants, eateries, pubs, and bars per capita in Canada, plus countless other businesses, tourism sustains thousands of jobs here in the Capital region. In fact, according to local sources, in 2025 Greater Victoria has already welcomed over 4.3 million visitors who contributed over two billion dollars to the local economy.
Cruise ship passengers (and 420,000 crew), accounted for approximately 1.2 million visits, which provided a massive bump, as it does every summer. Between April and October this year, Victoria hosted over 325 ship calls, making it Canada’s busiest cruise port of call. Since cruise passengers have only a few hours ashore, they focus on highlights like tea at the Empress, a tour of Butchart Gardens, or enjoying a nice walking tour with a Hidden Victoria guide at the helm. In 2025, cruise-related spending in 2025 will approach $1.1 billion, a large contribution for what were mostly half-day visits.
The real story of Victoria’s tourism success, though, comes from its year-round appeal. Travellers arriving by car, ferry, seaplane or airplane may only make up about 30% of annual arrivals, but they punch well above their weight in spending compared to single day-visitors. For example, a Canadian family staying three nights, a European couple exploring gardens in May, or a tech conference filling downtown hotels in November usually contribute to our local economy for a period of several days, rather than hours.
As Paul Nursey, CEO of Destination Greater Victoria, recently explained: “Tourism is a cornerstone of our local economy. Cruise passengers provide an incredible seasonal lift, but it’s the blend of overnight stays, festivals, and meetings that truly sustains us.”
And since Victorian weather is (mostly) always good, each season has its own reason and opportunity to show off different highlights. Early spring often begins when the cherry blossoms line the streets; plus there’s the annual Victoria Flower Count, and then The Royal Victoria Marathon, which attracts runners (and observers) from all over.
Summer brings us the Victoria Symphony Splash, multiple car shows and the TC 10K. Fall ushers in the Victoria International Wine Festival, several music festivals, and the food-forward “Dine Around & Stay in Town”, which offers locals a chance to “staycation” for a good price. Oh, and let’s not forget winter also brings multiple festive holiday markets that line up and down Government Street, and Butchart Gardens presents its annual “Twelve Days of Christmas”, which never fails to wow locals and visitors alike.
And while we are grateful for the annual summer influx of cruise ship passengers coming into the city, it’s easy to see that for welcoming visitors, Victoria’s true strength lies in the many unique offerings and sights that are offered year-round, and that fit every kind of traveller, vacation style and budget.
So regardless of the season, why not make the most of your time in Victoria by learning some of the local history? HIDDEN VICTORIA offers daily walking tours to make your visit more fun, interesting and memorable. For information, please click HERE.