Nova Scotia moved into Phase 3 of its recovery plan Wednesday and officially opened its border to the rest of Canada with some health protocols in place.
That is good news for businesses and especially those in the hard-hit travel and tourism sector who are looking for a rebound this summer season.
The Halifax waterfront is the most-visited attraction in Nova Scotia but throughout the pandemic, it’s been quiet.
“We were open I guess last year, sort of,” said Max Rastelli, owner and founder of Segway Nova Scotia & HFX e-scooters. “But we were less than 10 per cent of normal business.”
Many of the businesses along the waterfront rely on tourists and there’s been very few during the pandemic, as strict public health restrictions forced people to stay home. But with vaccine rollouts on track and public restrictions being eased, there is hope tourists will return and business will pick up.
“June was so nice that we did see quite a few people down here, albeit locals, but every week it seems like there are more and more people are coming out,” said Rastelli. “Maybe not so much in the middle of the day but in the evening, if it’s nice out, people are down here.”
There may be some pent-up demand for Nova Scotians and those abroad to get out and explore after months of staying home, said Dennis Campbell, CEO with Ambassatours Gray Line. He said calls have already been coming in from prospective clients across the country.
“Now to be opening to the rest of Canada is really encouraging because only six weeks ago it looked like we were only going to have an Atlantic Bubble again this year,” said Campbell.
Ambassatours Gray Line operates land and water tours along the Halifax waterfront, including the popular Harbour Hopper. Campbell said last summer was a bit of a write-off.
“We were down 90 per cent last summer, so that was a big hit for sure,” said Campbell.
The idea for the summer of 2021 – business can only get better.
“We just need to make sure we are ready as more people come,” said Campbell. “The good news is the vessels are ready, the big thing is hiring more staff as more people come.”
Preparations to welcome more people are underway and more and more people are beginning to show their faces, said Pat Mackin, co-owner of Echo Designs Jewellery. Mackin has operated a sales booth along the waterfront for several summer seasons.
“It’s been slow, but I find the locals are trying to support local, they are coming out for us,” said Mackin. “We’ve been in business a long time, people know us they know we are down here and they are coming to help us out.”
Although no cruise ships are navigating to the Halifax port this year, or in any Canadian waters until at least 2022, there’s still hope for a good summer as the Atlantic Bubble is now back in place with the province welcoming travellers from other Canadian provinces.
“I think people are itching to get out and they want to do something,” said Rastelli. “So everything seems to be lining up where we are certainly going to have a better summer than we did last year.’