With B.C. now in Phase 3 of its COVID-19 restart plan, the Premier is asking residents to vacation in the province this summer, but he’s asking people to abide by the rules that British Columbians have been following over the past few months to limit the spread of the virus.
John Horgan is also asking people to call ahead before making a trip.
Tourism Kamloops CEO Beverly DeSantis was on the NL Morning News and was asked what a caller might expect to hear if they called her office.
“So we would say to them that we have businesses open, to visit our website to see what businesses are open that would interest them,” she said. “We would talk about some of the attractions such as the Wildlife Park, the wineries, the golf courses that are open, our wide open spaces with our mountain bikes and bike availability here in Kamloops.”
DeSantis says they would also let callers know that while they are more than welcome to visit Kamloops, there are some smaller communities in the area that don’t want people to visit at this time. She says he office would let people know which places are okay to visit and which ones aren’t.
“We in Kamloops definitely want to see you. We want to make sure you’re respectful of the protocols,” she added.
“We want to encourage visitors to visit us and just feel really good about coming to Kamloops and knowing that we are very mindful about safety and cleanliness protocols and ensuring the safety of our visitors and our community is first and foremost.”
Mayor Ken Christian too said the city is ready to welcome people from around the province, noting there are plans to take part in a B.C. travel initiative with Destination B.C. to promote local tourism areas.
Horgan previously said he is hoping that people from across Canada will visit B.C. once restrictions are eased, in the hopes of making up for the lack of international tourists.
In #Kamloops, your health and safety is our priority. See how some of our businesses are planning to keep you, their staff, and the community safe.
🎥: @LoneWolfTeamLearn More: https://t.co/0ncRJo0UsQ pic.twitter.com/dtSvfioweE
— Tourism Kamloops (@TourismKamloops) June 24, 2020