Camping season has kicked off in Nova Scotia and local businesses are looking forward to seeing more customers.
“Oh, it’s awesome!,” says Alice Hartling, owner of Village Coffee House in Canning, N.S.
“Every little bit helps because we’re right on the way so people will stop, and pop in, and be pleasantly surprised that in a little town they can get a great coffee.”
After the province’s campground booking site crashed during the record-breaking year in 2021, the province is hoping to mitigate demand by again spreading out bookings over several days.
On Tuesday morning, bookings opened for six campgrounds.
“As of 10 a.m. this morning, there was about 6,200 reservations already made on the system,” said Minister of Natural Resources and Renewables Tory Rushton. “We’re looking forward to another-record breaking year.”
Rushton said the high demand crashed the site again, but no bookings were affected.
As of the early afternoon, the number of bookings made exceeded 7,270.
This round included Blomidon, Ellenwood Lake, Rissers Beach, The Islands, Thomas Raddall and Valleyview parks.
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Statistics provided by the province showed that as of 2 p.m., half of the bookings were made for Rissers Beach.
The next most popular spot with more than 1,200 bookings was Blomidon Provincial Park.
Hartling, whose coffee shop is near Blomidon, says camping season is great for business.
But, she says her coffee shop saw an influx of customers year-round during the pandemic.
“People are seeking out parks not only in the summertime to go camping, but also in the winter to go for a walk, to go for a hike,” said Hartling.
“A few years ago, you go to Blomidon and in the winter and there’d be no cars, nobody,” she said. “Now, that never happens; it doesn’t matter what day it is. There’s always people taking advantage of the beautiful views and the trails and the beach.”
She hopes Nova Scotians keep embracing staycations.
This year, the province is employing about 180 seasonal workers to work the 20 parks it operates for overnight stays.
The next round of bookings opens at 9 a.m. Wednesday for Amherst Shore, Cape Chignecto, Dollar Lake, Five Islands, Laurie, Porters Lake, and Smileys parks.
Bookings for the remaining parks will open Thursday.
— With files from Alexa MacLean.
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