Cries for readability: Tourism teams need agency dates for reopening plan

The Nova Scotia tourism industry was hit hard by the pandemic, losing $ 1.6 billion in revenue last year.

“We employ 50,000 Nova Scotians, we’re back to about 30,000, so we’ve still lost about 20,000 jobs,” said Darlene Grant Fiander of the Tourism Industry Association of Nova Scotia.

“We’re generating about $ 450,000 in tax revenue for the provincial government to pay for health care, education, and infrastructure, so it’s incredibly important to the economy.”

Nova Scotia is currently in the first of five phases of the reopening plan. The province is expected to enter phase two next Wednesday.

Some notable changes in the second phase include increasing the indoor meeting restrictions to 10 and the outdoor meeting restrictions to 25. Restaurants will also be able to serve indoor dining with physical distancing.

Officials said the province’s reopening plan is based on dates, not specific dates. However, the third phase of the reopening plan is expected to begin by the end of the month, the fourth phase in mid-July and the fifth phase in September.

“I think people can conveniently book trips to Atlantic Canada for June 30 and the rest of Canada for June 14 for July 14,” Prime Minister Iain Rankin said on Wednesday.

“But we’re looking at this further and how we could provide more shelter for those who are … vaccinated because they have more protection.”

The Nova Scotia Hotel Association would like more clarity on reopening dates and vaccine requirements.

“If you go to the COVID-19 website now in Phase 3 and Phase 4, it means you may need to self-isolate. While we know the government is trying to work on possible solutions, for example if you are fully vaccinated you don’t need to isolate, it is really important that the government address these things very urgently as people from the bubble and Canada are now making their trips to Planning Nova Scotia, ”says Hotel Association’s Megan Delaney.

Delaney notes that people are booking accommodations later this year.

“People book a little further into the tourist season, maybe August or September, when things seem more open and they’re more confident,” says Delaney.

Grant Fiander is optimistic about the coming tourism season.

“We have done an incredible job here in the area and now it is time to help all the communities in Nova Scotia rebuild. When the tourism economy comes back, Nova Scotia will come back, ”says Grant Fiander.

Grant Fiander would like a little better coordination of the guidelines in the Maritimes.

“When tour operators sell packages in the sea or Atlantic region, if there are differences in group numbers or numbers in restaurants, it is really important that the government coordinates the guidelines now,” says Grant Fiander.

“The three maritime provinces have presented guidelines. We hope they get approved so that group travel can sell consistent packages because from a customer perspective they just want to travel and we can’t have provincial differences. “