Tourism-related businesses in the Cowichan Valley have seen their revenues drop by as much as 40 per cent since the COVID-19 pandemic began last year.
Approximately 37 per cent of those businesses canB次元官网网址檛 pay their bills, and 21 per cent are temporarily closed due to the pandemic, according to Karen Bannister, director of destination marketing for Tourism Vancouver Island.
Speaking to the board at the Cowichan Valley Regional District on May 12, a delegation headed by Bannister and Janet Docherty, president of the Tourism Cowichan Society, told board members that the situation for tourism-related businesses in the Valley, and beyond, is becoming increasingly concerning, particularly with the new travel restrictions within B.C. that have been recently announced.
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Bannister said the industry knows the situation itB次元官网网址檚 in and it needs to look forward and chart a course for recovery.
B次元官网网址淲e donB次元官网网址檛 know when the virus will be contained and what kind of supply chain will be intact when people are able to travel again,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淏ecause many of these businesses are so heavily impacted by the pandemic [and travel restrictions], we donB次元官网网址檛 know which of them will survive through this.
B次元官网网址淲e also expect there will be some communities and First Nations that may not welcome visitors when itB次元官网网址檚 considered safe to travel again, and the consumers may have some hesitancy as well. ItB次元官网网址檚 a very vulnerable business sector right now.B次元官网网址�
Bannister said the domestic market is believed to be the key to recovery for the industry, and the people on Vancouver Island need to be encouraged to explore their own backyards when regional travel is allowed again.
She said the tourist sector should then look to the Lower Mainland and the rest of B.C. to draw people here and begin to recoup some of their losses from the pandemic.
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B次元官网网址淭he most immediate reasons for travel, once regional travelling is allowed, is expected to be for people to revisit family and friends, as well as familiar places,B次元官网网址� Bannister said.
B次元官网网址淪o it will be an opportunity for communities in the Cowichan Valley to position themselves as places to revisit and welcome everyone back home.
B次元官网网址淲e believe there is a lot of opportunities here and weB次元官网网址檙e now focused on developing a strong sense of place. We all need to work together collaboratively to help this sector.B次元官网网址�
Tim McGonigle, the director for Lake Cowichan on the CVRD board, said the whole Cowichan Valley suffered as a tourist destination during the pandemic.
B次元官网网址淚 encourage all the 80,000 people in the Valley to concentrate on the tourist entities in their region before moving on outside of the local area,B次元官网网址� he said.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 very important that we help this industry because there are some areas in the Valley that are very dependent on visitors.B次元官网网址�
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