The Mayor of Clearwater says while tourism is off to a slow start this year, he is optimistic that will change in the months ahead.
Speaking on the NL Morning News, Merlin Blackwell says while there are some people who are nervous about what lies ahead, most of Clearwater wants tourists to return.
“I know the bookings as far as overnight and RV and even some of the boat tours and that sort of thing and the rafting companies are starting to open up in anticipation of the water starting to drop,” he said.
“They’re expecting some business but it is definitely a little slow but I think a lot of it is the weather right now, I mean it’s so cold and the mosquitoes are exceptionally affectionate this week.”
Blackwell adds Clearwater residents are also not afraid to call people out, if they aren’t following the rules put in place by Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry.
“We have smartened up and I praise the people of Clearwater once again. The businesses here, the people have got on board really early and are doing the right thing. Quite literally [they will tell people to stay] two metres back in line and yeah, I think we’re in a good position.”
And while jokingly taking a shot at a Kamloops city councillor, he offered people some advice.
“The big thing is if you’re coming up and you know you can’t be councillor Mike O’Reilly with his cheese sandwich and his road map coming up for the day, seeing all the waterfalls and going home,” Blackwell added.
“You’ve got to stop for lunch and grab a coffee on the way in and out, So, you can’t be a Mike you’ve got to spend a little more time here than that.”
Sun Peaks Resort modifying operations for 2020 season
Meanwhile, the Mayor of Sun Peaks says hotels in his community just opened this past week, on June 29, and things are starting to pick up.
“It’s going to take a big pick up, if we were even to get to 50 per cent level of last year,” Al Raine said, on The Jeff Andreas Show.
He says Sun Peaks is allowing restaurants to expand their patios – similar to what Kamloops is doing – in the hopes of increasing the capacity at those establishments.
“It is picking up but I wanted to look at some hotel reservation information the other day and basically over the summer months, as of two weeks ago, reservations were about 85 per cent down compared to last year,” Raine added.
Sun Peaks Resort meanwhile has capped the number of season passes for the bike park this year. It will also limit the number of daily lift tickets for people to hike and bike, but people are able to buy tickets in advance online until the lift closes in September.
Back in March, Sun Peaks revealed that Dr. Chip Bantock was the communities first confirmed case of COVID-19. He has since recovered.
-With files from Jeff Andreas
