Businesses along the Halifax Waterfront are predicting a banner year for tourism in Nova Scotia.
The cruise ship season officially kicked off over the weekend when the Norwegian Dawn sailed into the harbour. Now businesses are hopeful this will be their strongest season since the start of the pandemic.
Ian Johnston, who owns Rum Runners and Sugah! along the waterfront, is predicting tourism will make a big comeback in the city this summer.
Johnston expects they’ll see the same level of customers or more in their shops when compared with pre-pandemic years.
“This is a bit of a comeback year for us because we have to get back to where we were pre-COVID,” Johnston says. “I think right now we have high expectations and we’re very positive.”
Johnston’s excitement stems from what could be a record-breaking cruise ship season for Halifax.
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More than 190 vessels are set to bring 325,000 people to the port between now and November. The last cruise ship season record was set in 2019, when 324,828 passengers and crew arrived in Halifax.
The Daily Grind Café & Bar in Halifax shares Johnston’s excitement.
“I’m really looking forward to the larger ships and the higher frequency of ships,” says general manager Scott Clifford.
The world’s fourth-largest cruise ship, the Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas, is set to sail into the Halifax port on May 31.
Johnston says a busy tourist season will continue to help businesses in their pandemic recovery.
“Last year we didn’t have any of the mandates or any of the rules or anything but we were still shaking it off,” Clifford says. “This year with inflation and rent costs for businesses, we’re looking forward to a boost of even an extra 20 per cent.”
The Restaurant Association of Nova Scotia says the summer will be critical for some businesses that continue to face struggles amid labour shortages and inflation.
“We are in that really sensitive area of recovery where for a lot of restaurants, what comes out of the next year is going to say a lot in terms of their survival,” explains executive director Natasha Chestnut.
She adds that tourists aren’t the only way to help restaurants make their comeback. Chestnut recommends Nova Scotians plan staycations this summer and help support local as they’ve done throughout the pandemic.
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business says another struggle stems from the looming December deadline to repay federal pandemic emergency loans.
“Businesses who took the CEBA (Canada Emergency Business Account) loan have until December 31st to repay that loan to get the forgivable portion,” says Halifax-based policy analyst Duncan Robertson. “So this summer is huge for them to be able to pay back that loan.”
Duncan adds it will also be hard for businesses to find workers amid the shortage to cover the surge in demand over the summer.
Businesses that repay their loans by the deadline will be eligible to have up to $20,000 forgiven.
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