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Oh no, Vancouver is No. 1 on some list or another again

July 2nd, 2014 · 32 Comments

At least there’s a chance that these readers won’t be staying around forever.

VANCOUVER, BC (July 2, 2014): The results are in: Vancouver is officially Canada’s top travel destination, according to readers of prestigious travel magazine Travel + Leisure.

Travel + Leisure’s annual World’s Best Awards survey asks readers to evaluate cities on five characteristics: sights/landmarks, culture/arts, restaurants/food, people and value. Vancouver’s score this year was 86.71, making it the top city in Canada and sixth best in North America (U.S. and Canada). And it seems that visitors are growing more enamored with the city every year: in the 2013 survey, Vancouver placed second in Canada and ninth in North America.

Vancouver also swept the World’s Best Hotel category with five of the top 10 Canadian hotels located here. Shangri-La Hotel, Vancouver captured the title of Canada’s premier hotel, followed by Rosewood Hotel Georgia (2), Wedgewood Hotel and Spa (6), The Fairmont Waterfront (7) and Fairmont Pacific Rim (9).

Categories: Uncategorized

  • Bill Lee

    Dreadful, thin Conde Nast publication. Total circulation (June 2012), 984,302.

    And the rich cruise boat clientele they target only see Vancouver because of the U.S. Jones act forbidding “foreign ships” from carrying persons between 2 American ports.

    Teasing Vancouver (tourism bureau) might be pleased but few others.

  • Richard

    Well, Kinder Morgan is committed to “fixing” this problem.

  • Tiktaalik

    Monocle’s annual Quality of Life survey just came out as well and ranked Vancouver #15, best in the Americas.

    Locals dismiss these sort of lists, but I think they’re a good reminder that most cities in the world are lousy and from the objective outsider view, Vancouver is clearly incredibly nice. Suddenly high real estate values don’t seem so shocking.

    http://monocle.com/film/affairs/quality-of-life-survey-2014/

  • boohoo

    Councillor Affleck believes in love…great use of City staff time and resources right guys?

    http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Vancouver+councillor+hopes+love+locks+will+unshackle+city/9997494/story.html

  • teririch

    @boohoo #4:

    I think they collectively would make a great interactive art instillation over at the Art Gallery; giving access to both the locals and tourists alike.

    If you walk the Burrard Street Bridge, you will see these locks attached to the fencing. They represent a moment in time, a story, and there is something charming about that.

    Or, we could spend another $150K on a giant ‘art’ poodle or endless lawsuit battles with the public.

  • boohoo

    @5

    I wish I could have lied and said this was some vision councilor’s idea, I would bet serious money your answer would have been different. So it goes.

  • brilliant

    @boohoo-and no doubt if this had been Gregor’s idea you’d be weeping with anticipation.

  • Threadkiller

    Affleck is a blithering idiot (not least for causing a headline writer to resurrect the “no fun city” canard. Are we *still* not past that??). We were in Paris in May and I can tell you that the so-called “love locks” are not only a hideous eyesore but also a grave hazard to safety. One of the railings on the pedestrian-only Pont Des Arts collapsed into the Seine a week after we walked across it. It’s amazing it hadn’t happened already— at a guess I would (conservatively) estimate that 250,000 locks were attached to that bridge alone (there are at least seven bridges in Paris being similarly defaced). Figure an average weight of two ounces per lock (many of the larger ones would weigh considerably more). You do the math (and don’t forget to include the weight of the hundreds of pedestrians that throng the bridge at any given time on most days). If nothing else, the fact that the poor bridge hasn’t yet collapsed altogether is a tribute to the engineering profession. The overall effect is about as “romantic” as a junkyard.

    The other thing that irks me beyond belief about Affleck’s moronic suggestion is that, like so much of the worthless crap that’s constantly cited by trained-seal-like civic boosters as evidence of what makes Vancouver “special” (gag me), it’s blatantly imitative of something that’s already been done somewhere else. This is a pattern that’s repeated again and again in this city, and all it accomplishes is to make Vancouver the laughing stock it so richly deserves to be. Being chronically unable to understand what attracts tourists to Vancouver in the first place– apart from the (yawn) “beautiful setting”– let me once again pose my favourite impossible question: If Vancouver and Regina were to somehow magically switch places, would anyone still want to come here?

  • boohoo

    We’re still on that @7? Oh how I weep for the guy in charge of the party I think should cease to be.

    At least it’s not ferris wheels in industrial lands and beaches on lakes.

  • Tiktaalik

    I agree with Threadkiller on all of that. The locks are all over Europe and they’re terrible.

    The only way for any city to kill off a “no fun city” label and to create a vibrant city is not with top down schemes from the city government, but with a bottom up loosening of rules, simply giving people the freedom to do stuff.

    A perfect example of this is the wildly popular trend of breweries in Mount Pleasant. All the city had to do to create this explosion of interest is to was to loosen zoning rules.

    The effects of this change are still unfolding. More breweries are being developed, and I heard on the radio that there’s now a craft beer bike tour[1], taking advantage of Vancouver’s great infrastructure, from Stanley Park, hitting a number of breweries and ending in Mount Pleasant. I can certainly imagine that being popular with tourists. This tour only exists because the city stepped out of the way and let people do interesting, creative things. Now not only are we creating a more vibrant city, we’re creating new jobs too.

    This one simple change to zoning rules has made Mount Pleasant, and Vancouver a dramatically more interesting, fun place to be in. Could you imagine how interesting Vancouver would be if we (and the Province maybe?) got rid of a few more rules?

    [1] Before anyone objects to drinking and riding, apparently small samples only and your growler purchases are carried along by the tour guide in a trailer.

  • Jay

    You’ve obviously never been to Regina.

    Even without the setting, Vancouver still has one of the best urban environments in North America.

  • Threadkiller

    @ Jay #11:

    Define “best” as used in this context, please. And I have passed through Regina a couple of times (not that I wanted to be there), so I’m not sure what your point is.

  • Jay

    Maybe I misunderstood. If Regina had Vancouver’s setting would anybody go to Regina is the question I think you’re posing. No they would not. What makes Vancouver a destination is its combination of spectacular scenery and good urban vibe. What’s my point? I don’t know. Whatever.

  • Roger Kemble

    VANCOUVER: still looking for love after 128 years . . .

    “I want to be that kid
    I want to do what he did
    I want the girl of my dreams

    I want to show what love means

    But nothing happens for me
    Days go by before I see
    The only one that makes things change is me

    I’m the best

    Put me to the test
    Put me to the test
    I am the best

    I want to see the whole globe

    Before bombs deploy and explode
    I want the highs without the lows
    I want to host my own shows

    But nothing in life comes for free

    Days go by before I see
    The only one that makes things happen is me

    I’m the best

    Put me to the test
    Put me to the test
    I am the best

    I don’t want to lose

    I don’t want to confuse
    I don’t want to hate
    I don’t want to be late

    But nothing happens for me

    Weeks go by before I see
    The only one that makes me suffer is me

    I’m not the best

    Put me to the test
    Put me to the test
    I am not the best

    I don’t want to miss my chance
    I don’t want a last dance
    I don’t want to concede

    I don’t want what I need

    But nothing in life comes for free
    Weeks go by before I see
    The only one that is killing me is me

    I’m not the best

    Put me to the test
    Put me to the test
    I am not the best    ”

    By Richard Craig

  • teririch

    @Threadkiller #8

    At least Affleck doesn’t have to read off of very well scripted cue cards or be at risk of completely putting his foot in his mouth like our illustrious Mayor.

    As for the rest of your rant – if you don’t like Vancouver, you have the option to leave or not visit, whatever works best for your. We live in a free country, you can move and complain about another city.

  • IanS

    The whole lock thing is a terrible idea. So many of the bridges of Paris are infested with these metal growths. They’re ugly and unsafe.

    Unfortunately, the infestation has now spread to other European countries. They’ve started to appear in Croatia and, today, I’ve seen them on bridges in Venice.

    A bad idea for Vancouver.

  • tedeastside

    vancouver a good urban vibe LOL….
    its a sleepy village with a pretentious unfriendly vibe…..

    if your under 40 you’ll be bored out of your skull in vancouver………vancouver is too small and boring , like every city in canada except Toronto

    vancouver has no attractions and nothing to do and nothing famous to see, for canada vancouver is ok but compared to any other country vancouver is laughable

  • Bill

    @tedeastside

    Now we know why real estate is so cheap in Vancouver. Thanks for the explanation!

  • Kevin

    tedeastside @ 16: So why are you still here? And aside from that, what do you feel YOU bring to the table? You have not contributed a single thing of value to any comment thread at this site; in fact, your posts are so similar in tone and content that I’ve wondered more than once whether they were written by a bot.

  • Bill

    @Roger

    Don’t forget to take off that aluminum foil hat before you go outside – you never know when lightning will strike!

  • Threadkiller

    Teririch # 15:
    You, like a lot of tub-thumping Vancouver-firsters, need to get out of town more often. There’s whole worlds to experience out there beyond Boundary Road. And don’t dare presume to lecture me on my “options”. If leaving was an option, I’d already be long, long gone.

  • tedeastside

    unless you live for skiing and sailing, vancouver has nothing,,,,theres no arts scene, vancouverites dont spend money on the arts, they go condo hunting instead, theres no sports scene in vancouver, the economy is too small, no head offices, so no big league sports

    big city people hate vancouver , or anybody who thinks theres more to life than canucks games, real estate, costco seawalls and the grouse grind

  • Threadkiller

    Jay #13: You’ve got the question I was posing completely bassackwards. Why the hell would I be commenting on the merits (or lack thereof) of Regina?? Really not a concern, especially in the context of this thread.

  • tedeastside

    vancouverites dont believe in much more than hockey, real estate ,mountains, hating Americans and hating Toronto

  • Jay

    The go to line for the pseudo-sophisticated is to call Vancouver a “backwater” or a “sleepy village”, or to compare it to Regina. These same lines are doled out over and over again, and they are a grossly inaccurate description of this city.

  • Richard

    @tedeastside

    Your totally amazing. You’ve convince me to agree with a half of one one teririch’s comments.

    Well done! An expert at bring Vancouverites together in reaction to your negative comments!

  • tedeastside

    why would anybody visit vancouver..theres literally nothing ….all you hear from tourists is how boring and expensive vancouver is, cant disagree with them, i’ve never been to a place with more expensive food and hotels than vancouver,… Detroit has more moxie than vancouver and wayyy more history

  • Tiktaalik

    tedeastside is just trolling ignore him

  • teririch

    @Threadkiller #21:

    I travel with work, internationally, and am always happy to return to the beauty of Vancouver.

  • Threadkiller

    Teririch #21:

    Perhaps you should seek a new line of work that would never require you to leave town. Constant longing for home is bad for the soul, or so it’s said.

  • Bill Lee

    Never mind Frances Bula’s blog piece and twitter note about the Travel + Leisure rating, what about her previous tweet?

    Frances Bula @fabulavancouver · Jul 2
    Interesting how even people in Hong Kong rioting re development surge created by mainland China money http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-06-14/hong-kong-protest/5524218 … via @an_news

    And we should be following up the lower House Of Representatives of Parliament (like the Canadian House of Commons) commission which reports in October ( ‘April’ in antipodean Australia)

    Sun, 2014-06-01 02:28 — admin
    In 2013 foreign investors obtained permission from the Victorian state government to build or to buy 4,500 houses, amounting to some $18b worth of approvals. Numbers of houses falling into foreign hands are increasing, with the Chinese the biggest buyers and builders, followed by the Canadians, Americans and Singaporeans. There were 12,025 applications to invest in Victorian real estate according to an annual report for 2012-2013. Not one was rejected. On Wednesday 19 March 2014 the Treasurer, The Hon Joe Hockey MP, asked the Economics Committee to inquire into and report on Australia’s foreign investment policy as it applies to residential real estate.

    Inquiry into foreign investment in residential real estate
    Inquiry home | Submissions | Public hearings | Media releases | Report

    aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/House_of_Representatives_Committees?url=economics/foreigninvestment/tor.htm”

    Terms of Reference
    The overarching principle of Australia’s foreign investment policy, as it applies to residential property, is that the investment should increase Australia’s housing stock. The policy seeks to channel foreign investment in the housing sector into activity that directly increases the supply of new housing (such as new developments of house and land, home units and townhouses) and brings benefits to the local building industry and its suppliers.
    Consistent with this principle, foreign investors are able to seek approval to purchase new dwellings and vacant land for residential development. Foreign investors cannot generally buy established dwellings as investment properties or homes; however, temporary residents can apply to purchase one established dwelling to use as their residence while in Australia.
    Notwithstanding these settings, concerns are raised periodically in relation to the possible impact of foreign investment on the Australian housing market.

    In this context, the Committee is asked to examine;
    • the economic benefits of foreign investment in residential property;
    • whether such foreign investment is directly increasing the supply of new housing and bringing benefits to the local building industry and its suppliers;
    • how Australia’s foreign investment framework compares with international experience; and
    • whether the administration of Australia’s foreign investment policy relating to residential property can be enhanced.
    The Committee is to report by 10 October 2014.

    See also the central bank of Australia’s opinion (Reserve Bank of Australia)
    rba.gov.au/publications/submissions/inquiry-foreign-invest-res-real-estate-201405/pdf/inquiry-foreign-invest-res-real-estate-201405.pdf [ 8 pages 300 Mbytes ]

    and
    Chinese hopeful inquiry could deliver better buying conditions
    by Nathan Mawby of the (Melbourne) Herald Sun
    Real Estate June 19, 2014 1:27PM

    And while the focus of the inquiry is not exclusively on Chinese investors Shanghai based Andrew Taylor, co-founder of popular China based real estate website Juwai.com, has revealed he believes the Chinese also have some hopes from the review.

    [ You should see what Juwai.com says about Vancouver,
    Cyprus and Spain ]

    “Smart Chinese investors know the inquiry could go either way,” Mr Taylor said.
    “They worry that political pressures might cause the government to make things harder on Chinese investors.”
    If things were to go their way the rules might make foreign investment easier, according to Mr Taylor.
    He said the Chinese’s key hopes for changes to foreign investment policy would include:
    BEING allowed to retain apartments purchased while on a temporary residency;
    PARENTS being allowed to buy apartments in their children’s names, without the need for FIRB approval;
    MORE vacant land to be made available to them for development — with the belief that an increase in supply would reduce prices;
    BLANKET approvals to be made by the FIRB so they can apply once to buy any qualifying property;
    Mr Taylor also noted they would like more time to commence developments.
    “Investors who buy established dwellings to redevelop them would like to have more than 24 months to begin construction,” Mr Taylor said.
    “In some cases, more time would make things easier, given how long design, planning and approvals can take.”
    Those making submissions to the inquiry so far have included: RP Data, the Real Estate Institute of Australia, HIA, the Reserve Bank of Australia, the Treasury, the Australian Bureau of Statistics and Master Builders Australia.

    etc. etc.

    And the Real Estate Institute of Australias pretty little States of Australia graphs in their 11 page report.
    reia.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/REIA-Submission-Foreign-Investment-Inquiry-May-20141.pdf

  • teririch

    @IanS #16:

    The locks have been removed from our local bridge fencings. What Cllr Affleck is suggesting is rather than chucking them out, do something interesting with them.

    They could make an interesting, interactive art installation at the Art Gallery which would allow easy access to both locals and tourists.