Passport photos we’d like to see

Ourselves and Others

Stage 1 of water restrictions are in effect, both the price of gas and fire-hazard levels are rising, the new passport rules have begun, half the office is sporting sunglass-raccoon eyes and I went for my first ocean swim of the year last weekend…yep, it’s official: summer has begun. Oh sure, a quick glance at the ol’ pagan sundial shows us that Summer Solstice is still half-a-shadow away and the kids may have a couple weeks of school left, but there’s no doubting summer is here. Just ask almost any business based in or around downtown, who have been collectively fretting about this moment for months. Recession plus high Canadian dollar plus new border restrictions? Now there’s a recipe for retail stress.

This is exactly the kind of perfect-storm scenario that gives tourist towns like Victoria the willies, which is likely the reason for the current Tourism Awareness Week. (Too bad that idea never took off for other impacted areas of the economy: Auto-Worker Awareness Month, say, or Love a Logger Leap Year.) True, locals probably don’t need to be any more aware of our collective need for either tourists or the oh-so-important cash they inject into our economy—estimated at $1.1 billion annually—but it never hurts to get the word out. Especially when you tally in all the arts, music, cultural and food festivals and events running over the summer that’ll need more than just local bucks to survive, plus the overall community trickle-down effect; after all, making less means spending less.

Whether or not the new American passport rules dramatically impact our season remains to be seen, but it doesn’t fill me with confidence when I hear reports that only 30 percent of U.S. residents have passports, compared to 54 percent of us; they’re also probably not feeling exactly enticed by our 92 cent dollar, which may help explain why U.S. tourism to Canada is currently at a 13-year low. Not that we can blame them—things still generally suck south of the border and nipping up to Victoria for a weekend getaway may not be at the top of the average American’s must-do list. (“Negotiate new mortgage, volunteer for Obama, book ferry for Victoria…honey, is this last year’s list?”)

Yet these are the times that define us as not only a tourist destination, but also as a damned fine city in which to live. Anyone can prosper when things are good; it’s harder to be generous when the cash flow may be slowing to a trickle—but those are exactly the moments when it’s important to support our friends and neighbours, and help promote and maintain the vitality of the city we choose to call home. Can’t afford to take your own vacation abroad this year? Fortunately, we already live in a world-class destination; consider spending a bit on a local staycation instead, where no passport is required. (And to help you do that, be sure to pick up a Tourism Awareness Week discounted Access Pass at Serious Coffee locations this week. Me, I cherish my Vancouver tourism pass, which lets me vacation like a Liberal at Green Party prices.)

I suppose I’ll eventually have to get a new passport—mine expired back in ’96 and I’ve been getting by just fine without one since then (which tells you how much international travel has been in my budget this past decade)—as it seems a better investment than ponying up the $35 to $50 extra for either the border-friendly enhanced driver’s licence or Nexus card. Not that I’m heading to America any time soon; if I have to vacation in a depressed economy, I’d rather just stay on the Island.

* * *

Oh, and a quick election update: in case you’ve yet to hear the final results, the official provincial election voter tally came in at a whopping 51 percent, rather than the miserable 49 percent hastily reported in this column a couple of weeks ago. Whew! That two percent just restored my faith in democracy. Now, where’d I put my 2010 pin? M