The Economist Rates Vancouver No. 1

[jamiemaw]

Citing criteria such as infrastructure, accomodation, public safety and, yes, restaurants, The Economist magazine has rated Vancouver as the top city in the world for business travellers.

The survey, conducted by The Economist Intelligence Unit, drew up a list of the top 100 cities for business travel. Vancouver was closely followed by Calgary and Toronto.

Paris placed 41st, New York City was rated 47th, and London 72nd.

This report follows The Economist's survey that also placed Vancouver first as the World's Best Place to Live.

[Vancouver Lee]

While I love The Economist for news, I can't imagine relying on their advice for anything pertaining to "lifestyle" i.e. accomodation and restaurants. A magazine run by stuffy old British news wonks rating Vancouver the best is a mixed blessing.

They must have spent their time at Cowboys for Calgary to score so highly...

[fud]

^ I'm less surprised about Vancouver's ranking than I am about Calgary's

How does NY score 45 places below Calgary?

Grain of fluer de sel?

[James Kendal]

New York is a great city except for the smell of human waste coming from the sewers and subway in the heat of summer.

[BCinBC]

^ I'm less surprised about Vancouver's ranking than I am about Calgary's

How does NY score 45 places below Calgary?

Grain of fluer de sel?

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Citing criteria such as infrastructure, accomodation, public safety and, yes, restaurants...

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Quote edited to reverse Jamie's bolds

I have not read the article, but...

Remember they're talking about business travel, not pleasure travel.

Infrastructure

Calgary - small downtown core, easy to walk to anything (including in winter conditions, as practically everything is connected by enclosed walkways)

NYC - hail a cab, reserve +/-1 hour to get to next destination

Accommodation

Calgary - relatively cheap, esp. with corporate rates

NYC - (assuming Manhattan) not cheap

Public Safety

No comment (actually, when I went I never felt threatened in areas such as Time Square, SoHo, etc, but I also never walked around alone).

Restaurants

Okay a case can be made there fairly easily. But then Paris is 41st and London is 72nd!!! Which leads me to believe restaurants didn't hold that much weight.

[fud]

Infrastructure

Calgary - small downtown core, easy to walk to anything (including in winter conditions, as practically everything is connected by enclosed walkways)

NYC - hail a cab, reserve +/-1 hour to get to next destination

If that was the case, I'd rate Montreal's metro on par if not better than Calgary's. I will agree that Calgary has a very well planned centralized downtown core which is wonderful. Montreal also has fairly priced accomodation. Perhaps Calgary is booming so there was a higher hit rate on business travel? But Montreal has a good representation of travel too. Hmm.

[~cayenne~]

I have not read the article, but...

Remember they're talking about business travel, not pleasure travel.

Restaurants

Okay a case can be made there fairly easily. But then Paris is 41st and London is 72nd!!! Which leads me to believe restaurants didn't hold that much weight.

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jamiemaw

Citing criteria such as infrastructure, accomodation, public safety and, yes, restaurants, The Economist magazine has rated Vancouver as the top city in the world for business travellers.

$$$$$$$$$$$$

[snacky_cat]

Referring strictly to the "business eating" aspect of business travel, I'd say the Economist got it right. Vancouver is unique in that we are one of the only cities whose downtown/financial area (where business travelers work and stay) DOESN'T empty out after 6pm, consequently there are tons of great places within spitting distance of any hotel a businessman might find themselves at. Walk to Yaletown and you've got another metric assload of great eating options. Expense claim yourself a $5 or $10 cab ride and you're at West or Lumiere... Add to that the fact that it's pretty easy to grab a local rag and find a good recommendation, and you're sorted. Oh, and I can't forget that you can actually experince BC through restaurants - locally-sourced produce and seafood, BC wines, etc. When we host out-of-towners, we show off BC at restaurants like C, Coast and Raincity Grill. If you're going to be kept from sightseeing by the drudgery of long business meetings, might as well get your tourism fix by eating your way around the province.

Other cities are too expensive to eat well in (I HATE filling out expense claims for trips to the UK and having to explain to the apparently provinvial accounting department that YES a lox bagel and an americano really DOES cost $18CDN in London) or too sprawly to get from the business district to the good food (LA, I'm looking at you), or just too @#$%ing scary (while most of you were at the C luncheon, I was in the urban jungle of Detroit, trying to get some Mexican food without getting capped).

Yay Vancouver!

[Andrew Morrison]

I know it's OT, but snacky cat is awesome.

Very well put with the metric assload.

[Vancouver Lee]

Referring strictly to the "business eating" aspect of business travel, I'd say the Economist got it right. Vancouver is unique in that we are one of the only cities whose downtown/financial area (where business travelers work and stay) DOESN'T empty out after 6pm, consequently there are tons of great places within spitting distance of any hotel a businessman might find themselves at. Walk to Yaletown and you've got another metric assload of great eating options. Expense claim yourself a $5 or $10 cab ride and you're at West or Lumiere... Add to that the fact that it's pretty easy to grab a local rag and find a good recommendation, and you're sorted. Oh, and I can't forget that you can actually experince BC through restaurants - locally-sourced produce and seafood, BC wines, etc. When we host out-of-towners, we show off BC at restaurants like C, Coast and Raincity Grill. If you're going to be kept from sightseeing by the drudgery of long business meetings, might as well get your tourism fix by eating your way around the province.

Other cities are too expensive to eat well in (I HATE filling out expense claims for trips to the UK and having to explain to the apparently provinvial accounting department that YES a lox bagel and an americano really DOES cost $18CDN in London) or too sprawly to get from the business district to the good food (LA, I'm looking at you), or just too @#$%ing scary (while most of you were at the C luncheon, I was in the urban jungle of Detroit, trying to get some Mexican food without getting capped).

Yay Vancouver!

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I second Andrew's comments: very good points, very well said.