Victoria Wins Best Small City, Again
U.S. readers named Victoria the world's best small city for a fourth straight year. Four local hotels placed too, a ready-made shortlist for advisors.
The capital of British Columbia has done it again. In Condé Nast Traveler‘s 2026 Readers’ Choice Awards, Victoria was named the Best Small City in the World for the fourth consecutive year, according to Destination Greater Victoria (DGV), the region’s tourism organization.
For advisors, the useful part is who voted. The awards are drawn from close to 800,000 survey responses from Condé Nast Traveler readers in the United States, which makes the result a sales line for American clients as much as a point of pride at home. For Canadians weighing a domestic city break over a U.S. one this winter, it is an easy recommendation with a credible outside endorsement.
Who it beat
The small-city category covers cities with populations under 350,000. Victoria placed first ahead of, in order of the release’s listing, Puerto Vallarta, Venice, Florence, Lucerne, Amalfi and San Sebastián. Puerto Vallarta’s own release confirms it finished second in the world and first in Latin America.
The full results are published online now and will appear in the magazine’s November issue.
Four hotels on the list
DGV says four of its member properties were also recognized:
- Magnolia Hotel & Spa: No. 2 among the top hotels in Western Canada.
- Fairmont Empress: No. 3 in Western Canada.
- Oak Bay Beach Hotel: No. 7 in Western Canada.
- Brentwood Bay Resort & Spa: No. 15 in the Best Resorts in the World category.
That spread is worth noting. It covers a boutique downtown hotel, the city’s grand harbourfront landmark, a seaside property in Oak Bay and an inlet resort on the Saanich Peninsula, so there is a ranked option for most client types.
The strategy behind it
Paul Nursey, DGV’s CEO, called the fourth win “both humbling and inspiring.” He credited the industry, businesses, community partners and residents, and pointed to the organization’s approach: heavy investment in media and public relations in key markets, paired with sales work. He said that approach has produced record years and is attracting new investment in tourism infrastructure. DGV works with about 950 businesses and municipalities in the region.
Read next · Hotel WatchPark Hyatt Toronto Makes the Readers' Top Five2 min →Repeat wins in reader polls are partly a marketing outcome, and DGV says so plainly. That does not make the result less useful at the point of sale; it means demand from U.S. readers is being actively cultivated, and shoulder-season space at the ranked hotels may tighten as a result.
For advisors
- Pitch: American clients who know Vancouver but not the island, and Canadians looking for a short domestic city break with a strong hotel story.
- Book: the four ranked properties as a tiered shortlist, from boutique (Magnolia) to landmark (Fairmont Empress) to resort (Brentwood Bay).
- When: use the award now for winter and spring city breaks, before the November issue reaches U.S. readers and lifts demand.
- Watch: whether DGV’s record-year claims translate into higher rates at the ranked hotels for 2027.
Sources
Alicia Loveday is Senior Editor at Not An Atlas. She's a mom who works in fashion and AI, which means she can style a look, prompt a model and pack a carry-on for the whole family before the coffee's done. She leads our travel guides and bigger stories, and firmly believes every itinerary needs one more outfit than strictly necessary.