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COVID-19: Tourism specialists calling on Canadians to assist restoration

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June 29, 2021

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Last year, BC’s tourism industry had sales of $ 7 billion, up from $ 21.5 billion in 2019

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Lisa Cordasco British Columbia's tourism industry had sales of $ 7 billion last year, up from $ 21.5 billion in 2019. Most jobs were lost in the hospitality and hospitality sectors, with a third of those workers, about 40,000, losing their jobs. remained unemployed. British Columbia’s tourism industry had sales of $ 7 billion last year, up from $ 21.5 billion in 2019. Most jobs were lost in the hospitality industry, with a third of those workers, approximately 40,000, losing their jobs. remained unemployed. Photo by JONATHAN HAYWARD /PNG

A panel of tourism experts predicts that despite the easing of travel restrictions, Canadians will be “reluctant” this summer and it will take years for the travel and accommodation sectors to fully recover.

Science World CEO told a panel hosted by the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade that “the pandemic has changed behavior.”

“As a result, we can’t just reopen and expect people to come back,” Tracy Redies said on Monday. “We have seen visitor numbers stay low in the US, where things have reopened.”

Redies said it is for this reason that Science World plans to continue requiring masks to be worn at its facility through September, although the BC public health order on masks is expected to be lifted on July 1.

White Rock’s former liberal MLA called on the government to support the travel industry by investing in infrastructure for transportation and convention centers.

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“It is time we stopped relying on the natural beauty of BC to bring people here. The government needs to develop other ways to support the sector, ”Redies said.

British Columbia’s tourism industry had sales of $ 7 billion last year, up from $ 21.5 billion in 2019. Most jobs were lost in the hospitality and hospitality sectors, with a third of those workers, about 40,000, losing their jobs. remained unemployed.

Air Canada’s executive director of sales, planning and effectiveness, Timothy Liu, told the panel that the recovery will be slow.

“The summer keeps us busy with ongoing border restrictions and quarantine requirements,” said Liu. “We want the heads of government to get the message across that it is safe to travel.”

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Royce Chwin, President and CEO of Tourism Vancouver, last August at the Vancouver Convention Center. Photo by Jason Payne /PNG

Destination Vancouver head Royce Chwin said efforts are underway to get the federal government to lift the cruise ship ban before February 2022 and come up with a border reopening plan and clear protocols for how vaccine passports work. He said it was not enough to rely on domestic vacation travel alone.

“We need news beyond visiting friends and family,” Chwin said. “Congresses and business travelers brought $ 2.6 billion to Metro Vancouver in 2019. But more than 60 percent of all conventions in 2020 have been postponed and we expect this to continue in 2021. Therefore, the business travel sector needs some form of financial bridging beforehand. Business travel and the convention markets are returning. “

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Keith Henry, CEO of the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada, in North Vancouver. Photo by Jason Payne /PNG

While studies by the Vancouver Board of Trade predict the travel and accommodation sector will recover by 2023, the head of the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada says its sector may not recover until 2027.

Keith Henry says the indigenous travel industry relies heavily on international travelers, who made 70 percent of their sales before the pandemic.

“The pandemic wiped out our industry,” said Henry. “The majority of companies didn’t make it. Less than eight percent of indigenous tourism companies resorted to government grant, loan or wage subsidy programs because most indigenous companies were too small to qualify or many of the operators simply chose to hibernate until international travel returned . “

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He said most operators hope the future will be better, “but you can’t really run a business on hope.”

All panelists agreed that governments and individual Canadians need a short-term contribution to spread the word that the travel and accommodation industry has set new standards to ensure visitor safety. They hope that the pent-up needs of Canadian travelers will help them recover faster and that these travelers will open their wallets.

As Redies pointed out, “Canadians spent $ 40 billion on international travel in 2019, while international travelers spent $ 23 billion in this country.”

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