VICTORIA, B.C. NAMED BEST SMALL CITY IN THE WORLD FOR FOURTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR IN CONDÉ NAST TRAVELER'S 2026 READERS' CHOICE AWARDS
VICTORIA, BC, Oct. 6, 2026 /CNW/ -- For the fourth year in a row, Victoria, B.C. has been named the Best Small City in the World in Condé Nast Traveler's annual Readers' Choice Awards. The accolade, for small cities in the world with a population under 350,000, is a stunning achievement for the waterfront capital of British Columbia. Equally impressive is Victoria having secured first place ahead of global tourism hotspots such as Puerto Vallarta, Venice, Florence, Lucerne, Amalfi, and San Sebastian. Destination Greater Victoria (DGV) members were also recognized in the Best Hotels in the World and Best Resorts in the World categories.
Condé Nast Traveler received close to 800,000 survey responses from readers across the United States rating their travel experiences across the globe to offer a comprehensive look at the places they eagerly anticipate revisiting. The Readers' Choice Awards, with its unparalleled legacy as the travel industry's longest-running and most prestigious accolades from its readers, remains the ultimate symbol and acknowledgment of excellence within the travel sector. The full list of winners can be found here.
"To be recognized by travellers from around the world for a fourth consecutive year is both humbling and inspiring," says Paul Nursey, CEO of Destination Greater Victoria (DGV). "This honour speaks to the strength of Greater Victoria's global reputation, and the collective efforts of our tourism industry, businesses, community partners, and residents who help make this destination so memorable. Destination Greater Victoria's marketing and communications strategy has been to lead with outsized investments in media and public relations in key markets. It is gratifying to see this approach translating into continued recognition from travellers themselves. Ultimately, when paired with powerful sales efforts, the combined effect is to drive business for our members with record year after record year on the books, and is now attracting new investment in tourism infrastructure. I'd like to thank our member businesses, our team at DGV, and MMGY Global for their partnership in helping showcase Victoria to the world."
In the Best Hotels in the World category, Condé Nast Traveler readers declared three Greater Victoria hotels to be among the top 10 in Western Canada. The Magnolia Hotel & Spa was ranked number two, Fairmont Empress was ranked third, and Oak Bay Beach Hotel was ranked seventh. In the Best Resorts in the World category, Brentwood Bay Resort & Spa was ranked an impressive 15th.
"The wide range of accommodations that our region offers visitors plays an important role in their overall experience and how they remember Victoria when they return home," adds Nursey. "When you consider there are hundreds of thousands of hotels and resorts worldwide, it's absolutely incredible and a great source of pride that Greater Victoria was able to have four properties recognized for their excellence and the memorable experiences they deliver to visitors every day."
The 2026 Readers' Choice Awards are published on Condé Nast Traveler's website at cntraveler.com/rca and celebrated in the November issue.
About Destination Greater Victoria: Destination Greater Victoria (Greater Victoria Visitors and Convention Bureau) is our region's official, not-for-profit destination marketing and management organization working in partnership with approximately 950 businesses and municipalities in Greater Victoria. For more information, visit the Destination Greater Victoria website.
SOURCE Destination Greater Victoria
DGV Media Contact: Astrid Chang, Executive Director, Corporate Communications and Member Services, 250-893-3995, [email protected]; Condé Nast Traveler Media Contact: For media inquiries, please contact: [email protected]
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