When Stacie Holmes drove off the Anacortes ferry at Sidney on sa国际传媒 Day, she gulped at the sight of the parade-related traffic jam. Except when other drivers saw the North Carolina woman鈥檚 licence plates they made a hole, and kept making holes until she got to where she needed to go. That made a good first impression.
Likewise, Josh McFarland鈥檚 first look at Victoria has been positive.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really clean here. That jumped out at me,鈥� says the Portland, Oregon man. 鈥淎nd everyone鈥檚 super-friendly.鈥�
Similarly, Alys Milner has enjoyed her fourth visit in five years. 鈥淐anadians are nice people,鈥� says the San Jose, California woman. 鈥淚 love the general kindness. You forget about that.鈥�
Um, has anyone asked her about Trump?
鈥淵ou鈥檙e the first,鈥� she replies, with a smile.
Congratulations, Victoria, on the Fourth of July, we have passed the guest test.
This shouldn鈥檛 be that hard. When you invite guests into your home, good manners dictate that you treat them well 鈥� that you don鈥檛, for example, point out (just in case they didn鈥檛 know) that they elected a punchline as president.
The problem is, sometimes Victorians can get a little judgy, transferring to the 800,000 U.S. tourists who trod our streets each year our feelings about guns, the wall, tariffs or other irritants.
鈥淚 mean, how could you elect Trump?鈥� we ask, as though being pestered about the president was how the Americans hoped to spend their holidays. It comes out sounding like 鈥淗ow could you have slept with Bob?鈥�
That鈥檚 us at our worst, betraying a smug sense of superiority that is, alas, as Canadian as hockey, poutine, or bragging about our modesty.
At our best, we鈥檙e the people Americans described Wednesday when I wandered around downtown, randomly buttonholing tourists about their experiences here 鈥� about what we鈥檙e doing right as hosts, what we could do better.
Honestly, they gushed. Sarah Lynch liked seeing menus that offers wild-caught or free-range food. Also, said her husband Mark, do we know how lucky we are to have wilderness so close to the city? It鈥檚 not that easy back in sa国际传媒icut.
Texan Todd Green was impressed by Victoria鈥檚 bus system.
鈥淚t鈥檚 consistent. It鈥檚 safe.鈥� Ditto for the region鈥檚 cycling trails. 鈥淭he Galloping Goose is so great.鈥�
All appeared stumped when asked to think of a negative. McFarland, who finally offered up that it was initially a little hard to find a place to change currency, seemed apologetic that he couldn鈥檛 find something worse to say.
And everybody liked being treated well, which made Paul Nursey happy.
Nursey is CEO of Destination Greater Victoria 鈥� the new name for Tourism Victoria. Ordinary Victorians have a big role in making visitors feel welcome, he said. If you see someone looking a little perplexed on the street, ask if they need directions. Let them in on a local secret destination. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the thing that sets us apart.鈥�
Surveys show Americans 鈥� or, at least, those from Washington and the west coast 鈥� are drawn here by the promise of physical beauty, fresh air and a relaxed pace of life, but it鈥檚 what else they find that makes a difference.
鈥淭he payoff is a surprisingly vibrant place, with more to see and do than they expected,鈥� Nursey said.
That was reinforced by the Americans interviewed at random on Wednesday. They enjoyed the predictable attractions: the Royal sa国际传媒 Museum, the legislature, the water taxis and, of course, Butchart Gardens. (Victorians might not appreciate how big a magnet Butchart鈥檚 is; Nursey calls it our Niagara Falls.)
But they were also pulled by the unexpected. Holmes ended up on a tour of St. Andrew鈥檚 Presbyterian and its stunning stained glass windows. Milner found herself in the same church, listening to a noon-hour piano recital by Jorge Eduardo Flores Carrizales, a Mexican student at UVic. Green toured distilleries, wineries and a cidery. Eight or nine Americans took in one of A Taste of Victoria鈥檚 food tours, walking from eatery to eatery, sampling their fares.
Andy Olson, who owns the latter company, said he follows one strict rule: 鈥淭here are two things I聽won鈥檛 talk about on my Taste of Victoria food tour. One is Alberta-sa国际传媒 politics. The other is Trump.鈥�
That鈥檚 just being a good host, Nursey said. Put yourself in the visitors鈥� shoes. 鈥淵ou would hate for someone to speak negatively about your home.鈥�
Park the politics and be as welcoming to tourists as you would want to be welcomed.
