In a bit of a role-reversal, two B.C. cities are among the 鈥淔ive Favourite鈥� in Canada as named by Travel + Leisure readers, but Victoria dropped from No. 2 last year to No. 5 while Vancouver climbed from No. 4 to third.
Quebec City tops the list with Montreal in second and Halifax fourth in the annual magazine readership survey. The World's Best Awards weigh in on travel experiences around the globe 鈥� as Travel + Leisure followers share their opinions on the top hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines and more. Nearly 180,000 T+L readers completed the 2025 survey.
Cities were specifically rated on the criteria of sights and landmarks, culture, food, friendliness, shopping and value. For each characteristic, respondents could choose a rating of excellent, above average, average, below average, or poor.
Victoria is a favourite on the West Coast for its 鈥渟tately British architecture and green spaces,鈥� the magazine said. Many voters labelled Butchart Gardens, just outside the city, a must-visit.
The 55-acre tourist destination in Central Saanich was also named as a draw when Vancouver Island made the CNN Travel list of 25 best places to visit this year.
According to the news travel site, the Island's 鈥渨ild and untamed landscapes and explosions of manicured blossoms鈥� are a natural draw.
The region is routinely named as a top travel destination.
As a part of its annual readers' choice awards, the Conde Nast Traveler magazine listed Victoria as the best small city in the world for the second year in a row in 2024.
Conde Nast Traveler ranked small cities based on responses from over 575,000 U.S. readers. Using a standard five-point scale, nominated cities were judged on a set of criteria, and the average of these ratings determined final scores.
Victoria's score trumped those of other major tourist destinations, including San Miguel de Allende, Florence and Salzburg.
In late 2024, Victoria was also deemed a winner in Good Housekeeping's 2025 Family Travel Awards. To name the best vacation destinations in different categories, a group of seasoned travel writers reviewed submissions and more than 100 testers then visited the places to assess based on standardized criteria.
In Greater Victoria, the tourism sector supports around 25,000 jobs, with about one in four families directly or indirectly supported by tourism, according to the October 2024 Destination Greater Victoria Economic Impact Report. In 2023, Greater Victoria welcomed 4.9 million visitors, and the visitor economy generated $3.5 billion in business sales.
