An eligible vacation must include a paid overnight stay between July 15 and Sept. 30, according to the province.

The Champetre County Resort has seen a drastic drop in guests this year, but because of local support, it has been able to remain open during the COVID-19 pandemic.

City of Kawartha Lakes tourism department reported a steady flow of visitors during July and August.

In July, provincial campgrounds saw about 62 per cent capacity, up one per cent from 2019 — but the big difference was in who is camping.

While provincial parks are busy enough to maintain the volume of pre-pandemic visitors, Tourism Saskatchewan says some parts of the industry are still struggling.

This is the summer of staying at home, but that doesn't mean you can't explore your own backyard.

Eligible expenses include accomodation, food and drinks, travel costs and activity expenses including entrance fees or tickets.

Tourism pumps more than $106 million into the economy in the City of Kawartha Lakes.

Many of the province's tourism associations are also incorporating Dr. Bonnie Henry's reopening mantra of "few faces and big spaces" into their summer marketing campaigns.

It's a big change from previous years where the province's tourism sector heavily promoted itself to international markets, and other Canadian provinces. "We don't actually market in Atlantic Canada, or Nova Scotia typically," said Fitzgerald.