Victoria is one of the world’s friendliest cities for tourists, according to a survey by Condé Nast, while Vancouver didn’t make the list at all.
Victoria is also the friendliest city in the Northern Hemisphere.
British Columbia's capital city was beat out for top spot by Auckland, New Zealand, and Melbourne, Australia.
Last year, the city ranked at number 14.
Victoria obviously made a good impression on more than 46,000 Condé Nast Traveler readers who described the city as a destination you need “at least a week to see.”
“I’m almost embarrassed that we’ve been outed,” Victoria Mayor Dean Fortin said.
He cannot see tourists staring at an upside-down map without butting in and asking if they need help. Nicely, of course.
“So many people come to see the built architecture, the natural environment and all the attractions, but what I think always impresses are the people,” Fortin said.
The mayor said he has helped lost tourists find the city sights. One day, he spotted such a couple looking lost and asked, “How can I help you?”
They said they were looking for Chinatown, so Fortin offered to escort them since he was heading that way.
“We started chatting and they said, ‘Where do you work?’ and I said I worked for the city. As we’re passing city hall, they laughed and joked, ‘Hey, you’re not the mayor are you?’ ”
Cue the entrance of a Chinatown businessman who walked by and said, “Good morning, Your Worship.”
The tourists were astounded. Fortin laughed that he’d been exposed “and then there was about 10 minutes of photos.”
Victoria residents are happy to help tourists, and that’s a big reason why we come off as so nice, he said.
“We want to make sure our visitors have the best experience, knowing that almost all of us started as visitors and chose to stay.”
Earlier this year, Victoria was ranked the fifth-best destination in Canada by TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards.
