Long weekend tourism returns to Victoria in a big way
Hotels and ferries have been fully booked this long weekend, and tourism operators in Greater Victoria have been scrambling to keep up with demand.
Ash Lee is visiting the Island with his family. He told CTV News Vancouver Island he booked his trip two months ago, and even then the resort he wanted to stay at struggled to find room for him.
"Even two months ago, they had to try and find a room for us," Lee said. "And then I decided to bring my mom, but there was no chance of getting an adjacent suite, so we just all had to cram in."
The boost in business is a welcome sight for the Hotel Association of Greater Victoria, but overall occupancy rates have been inconsistent, according to Bill Lewis, the association's chair.
"The city ran 52 per cent (occupancy) last week," Lewis said. "That's overall numbers, so it's still certainly not in the range of the 80 or 90 that you'd expect Victoria to be running in peak season."
As hotels and restaurants struggle to rehire staff laid off during the pandemic, some are scrambling to serve guests, while others have scaled back their hours due to the labour shortage.
Several pub managers in Victoria said they were too busy, and too short-staffed, to speak to CTV News on Saturday.
With Canada scheduled to open its border to fully vaccinated travellers from the United States on Aug. 9, Victoria's tourist season may continue ramping up, whether the hospitality industry is ready or not.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their “extremely dangerous” experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Teacher shortages see some Ontario high school students awarded perfect grades on midterm exams
Students at a high school in York Region have been awarded perfect marks on their midterm exams in three subjects – not because of their academic performances however, but because they had no teacher.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Her fiance has been in prison for 49 years. She's trying to free him before it’s too late
She was lying in bed on a Thursday morning, thinking about the man she loved, hoping to win his freedom before time ran out.