1. Gas prices
sa国际传媒 Ferries is one operation that can feel the pinch from more expensive fuel. Spokeswoman Deborah Marshall said the corporation is keeping a close eye on gas prices, for both itself and its customers. 鈥淲hat we find is if the price at the pump increases, sometimes that might eat into customers鈥� disposable income,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o sometimes that can have an effect on our traffic.鈥�
2. The Canadian dollar versus the American dollar
A low Canadian dollar not only brings more Americans to the country, it also keeps Canadians at home, Marshall said. 鈥淚nstead of heading down to California if you鈥檙e paying 20, 25 cents on the dollar, you might want to come to Vancouver Island instead.鈥�
3. Loss of hotel space
Frank Bourree of Chemistry Consulting, which counts tourism among its areas of expertise, said the city needs more hotels after losing 10 over the past decade. The loss of those hotels has trimmed the inventory of hotel rooms by 1,100, so more capacity is required to meet demand.
4. Labour issues
Finding people to fill jobs connected to tourism has been a problem for some time and continues to be a concern. Job seekers have other options in today鈥檚 labour market.
5. Cruise ships
The number of scheduled cruise-ship visits to Ogden Point is up this year, and is expected to keep climbing in the foreseeable future. As well, the Wilson Group of Companies and Cruise Victoria Services Tours have formed a new company to help get the 600,000-plus passengers where they want to go.