Alberta’s tourism industry has been hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, with international visits limited to only essential travel.
Shelley Grollmuss, the vice-president of industry development with Travel Alberta, said that a recent survey of tour operators shows just how much the industry stands to lose.
Even if hotels and restaurants start to reopen, limited flights and mandatory quarantine makes international travel nearly impossible.
“We’re making adjustments to plans for visitors who were coming into the province for this summer,” Grollmuss said. “The Rockies are going to be significantly impacted with the international visitation.”
Travel Alberta is hoping to replace some of the loss in international travel with local tourists by launching a new campaign in the summer.
There will also be some financial help for tour operators with the launch of a co-operative investment program.
Businesses will be able to apply for the program in June.
Travel Alberta said the industry generates $8.9 billion in revenue every year and that plans to bring that up to $20 billion by 2030 are now on hold.
Feeling the hit
By late spring, Rocky Mountain Sidecar Adventures would normally be showing off southern Alberta to tourists.
But owner-operator Warren Cummins said the COVID-19 pandemic means his engines are silent.
Cummins doesn’t believe that easing restrictions will help his business.
“We’ll have no revenue this year whatsoever,” he said. “And I don’t expect it’ll be very much better in the next two years.”
Cummins said even if he starts marketing to locals, the lack of disposable income means tours are most likely at the bottom of the list of priorities.
Cummins said he will keep a handful of sidecars ready for local tourists, and he’s working on securing PPE for his drivers and customers.
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