Recognizing what Vancouver Islanders have known all along, the Island and Victoria have again placed among the top destinations in the world according to readers of Condé Nast Traveler magazine.
Global travellers voting in the magazine’s 2020 Readers’ Choice Awards selected Vancouver Island as No. 2 in the Top 5 Islands in North America and Victoria as No. 8 in the Top 10 Small Cities in the World category.
Topped only by Cape Breton Island, Vancouver Island was again recognized as one of the best islands in the world in what has become an annual acknowledgement by readers of the US leisure travel magazine.
Pacific Rim National Park on the West Coast of Vancouver Island, which was voted No. 2 in the Top 5 Islands in North America in Condé Nast magazine’s 2020 Readers’ Choice Awards. Jen Blyth photo.
“This is welcome news,” says Anthony Everett, President & CEO, Tourism Vancouver Island. “It is wonderful to see this positive recognition for Vancouver Island from global travellers at a time when our tourism industry is suffering. We would like to thank the residents of Vancouver Island for contributing to making the Island a special place to live and visit.”
Preparing to welcome global visitors back to the Island when the time is right, Tourism Vancouver Island is committed to supporting the survival of more than 3,000 tourism businesses in the region through partnerships and collaboration, including the BC Tourism Resiliency Network.
Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise was selected as No. 7 on the list of top 10 Canadian resorts.
It was also a West Coast sweep in the Best Canadian Resort category, with every member if the Top 10 from British Columbia and the Alberta Rockies:
- No. 1 – Fairmont Chateau Whistler
- No. 2 – Four Seasons Resort and Residences Whistler
- No. 3 – Wickaninnish Inn, Tofino,
- No. 4 – Nita Lake Lodge Whistler
- No. 5 – The Westin Resort & Spa, Whistler
- No. 6 – Fairmont Banff Spring
- No. 7 – Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise
- No. 8 – Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge Jasper
- No. 9 – Delta Hotels by Marriott Victoria Ocean Pointe Resort
- No. 10 – The Rimrock Resort Hotel, Banff.
On its website, Condé Nast Traveler notes that this year’s Readers’ Choice Awards represent the first time voters largely made their picks when few were travelling.
“So the names in this year’s edition are the ones that brought you comfort, that you still connected with long afterward, that got you through the months without travel. These are the enduring gems that can withstand the test of time and the vicissitudes of circumstances.”
Other notable West Coast rankings include:
• Vancouver’s Loden Hotel is No. 8 among the top 10 Canadian hotels – the sole West Coast hotel represented.
• Tutka Bay Lodge on the tip of the Kenai Peninsula, across Kachemak Bay from Homer, Alaska. Voted No. 19 in Best Resorts in the World, Tutka combines a wilderness lodge experience with outstanding sea-to-table food.
• Auberge du Soleil in Rutherford, California, No. 15 Best Resort in the World, set on 33 acres of Napa Valley vineyards and olive groves.
• The No. 1-ranked resort, the L’Horizon Resort & Spa in Palm Springs, California.
• Two California towns ranked 3 and 4 respectively among the Top Small Cities in the US, Carmel-by-the-Sea and Laguna Beach, while the only Big US City to make the grade from the West Coast is No. 7-ranked San Diego.
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