The President of the Kamloops Accommodation Association says hotels in the community are expecting things to improve now that people are travelling once again with COVID restrictions eased.
Tyson Andrykew though says it won’t be anything close to the summer of 2018 or 2019 just yet, but he notes hotel operators are optimistic about the summer of 2021.
“I think its actually kind of the larger public that is really bolstering our room counts right now,” he said. “The majority of travellers in this province are inter-provincial anyway so British Columbians are hitting the road again, which is great, and we’re looking forward to it.”
“It is really challenging right now because you try to bulk up and staff and there’s obviously some well reported staff shortages so our modelling is not useful at this point just because people are really anxious to travel which is great to see, and we’re going to try and do our best.”
It is not just tourists though staying in hotels this summer as many of these operators have opened their doors to people who have had to flee their homes because of wildfires.
“All signs are pointing towards a really good rebound summer,” Andrykew said. “We’re heading in the right direction so its really good to see.”
Tourism Industry Pleased with Border Reopening to Americans
With the land border now re-opened to them, any U.S. Citizens and permanent residents hoping to travel to Canada must first check several boxes.
Under the newly eased border restrictions, eligible visitors must live in the United States and be vafully vaccinated with one of four Health Canada approved vaccines. They are also required to show proof of a negative molecular COVID-19 test that’s no more than 72-hours old, and also use the ArriveCAN app or online web portal to upload their vaccination details.
The border has been closed to non-essential travel since March of 2020, but Tourism Industry Association of B.C. CEO Walt Judas calls this a great step forward for a sector that’s been hit hard by the pandemic.
“We know that Americans love to visit the province. Many own second homes here, they have families here, and they typically will spend three to five times more than domestic visitors,” he said. “So we’re looking forward to the border opening to Americans, ultimately to internationals.”
“Two thirds of international visitors to B.C. who spend at least one night in the province are from the United States and that represents billions of dollars in revenue.”
Judas adds it will take a while for the industry to build up to pre-pandemic numbers.
“We’re already so far through the year, so it won’t make up for the lack of international visitors that we’ve had up until now but as I say it’s a really good first step,” he added.
While Canada has given the green light, the U.S. is yet to reciprocate and open its land border for Canadian travellers with no indication on when that might change.
– With files from The Canadian Press and CKNW 980 Radio
