International visitors renew hope for tourism sector

The return of international visitors is good news for our region's tourism sector.

The recent announcement by Kenmore Air that regularly scheduled flights between Seattle and Victoria will return on April 1 is a great step forward. The Seattle area is a major source of visitors to Victoria and we know businesses here can't wait to welcome them back. Adding flights creates more options for travellers, including the previously announced return of the Victoria Clipper on April 15, and the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority's start of a new cruise ship season on April 6.

To help spread the word, Destination BC has launched a new $6.7 million marketing campaign aimed at international visitors. The campaign, called Discover the BC Effect, aims to "drive emotional urgency" that will encourage people in Washington, California, Britain and Australia to travel to our province. The effort will complement Destination Greater Victoria's ongoing $2.2 million campaign.