With vacation plans cancelled, WBEDC hopes local tourism will benefit from staycations
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The Wood Buffalo Economic Development Corporation (WBEDC) is hoping tourism will get a boost from local residents this summer, as COVID-19 restrictions grind many summer travel plans to a halt.
Michael Sieger, WBEDC’s vice president of tourism, said the group hopes more people will spend the summer exploring Wood Buffalo’s outdoors, or by having friends and family members visit the region as restrictions loosen slowly.
“We want more people coming into our community on the weekend,” said Sieger. “It’s a slow process, but it will happen.”
In the past, WBEDC says it has been challenging promoting Wood Buffalo’s outdoor opportunities. However, COVID-19 has cancelled the summer roadtrip for many people.
Festivals and concerts are cancelled, while many tourist attractions are either closed or running at a limited capacity. Several provinces have rules in place essentially prohibitting non-essential domestic travel, while access to the territories are restricted.
Travel outside Alberta is being discouraged by health officials, but there are no rules stopping someone from heading to B.C. or Saskatchewan or vice versa.
Councillor Phil Meagher said he has noticed more people using the warmer weather to explore the region’s trails and wildlife. However, there is more work to do in promoting what is here.
“The big thing is we don’t toot our own horn enough,” said Meagher. “We’ve got some fantastic things to do here.”
WBEDC agrees and is hoping to promote tourism opportunities online.
The group is also looking at promoting northern lights tours, hunting and fishing opportunities, and starting jet boat tours of the Athabasca and Clearwater Rivers.
Opportunities for dog sledding, snowshoeing and rentals for snowmobiles or other off-highway vehicles are also being considered.
“They are, by their design, meant for smaller groups,” said Sieger. “You can work the new COVID regulations or any regulations that may come up in the future because of this pandemic.”
While tourism opportunities exist, the sector has hurt just as it has elsewhere across Canada.
Local hotels got a boost when the municipality rented rooms for evacuees from April’s flooding, said Kevin Weidlich, WBEDC president and CEO. However, many of them have been forced to close or lay off staff.
Restaurants and bars have adapted to COVID-19 restrictions, but are still suffering. Weidlich has bluntly told local politicians and business leaders that many businesses will not survive the next few months.
“We’ve been touched by the pandemic, but we have been able to adjust appropriately,” Weidlich said in an interview. “Under the assumption we can maintain that, that turns into a destination, a place to come.”
There has been some assistance offered for the tourism sector, which Meagher says was already languishing even before COVID-19. Sieger says there are grants available to help with tourism.
Travel Alberta recently received $1.5 million in federal funding, with more funding promised. The province is also allowing hotels to keep tourism levies collected between March 1 and Dec. 31.
Premier Jason Kenney recently told reporters that provincial and federal governments should begin coordinating plans to restart domestic and international travel.
For now, Kenney says Alberta is not ready to accept large crowds of tourists, but other countries with thriving tourism sectors already have tourism protocols.
Iceland, for instance, is offering travellers COVID-19 tests as soon as they enter the country. They can skip the country’s required two-week quarantine if they test negative for the virus.
“There are a lot of different ways of doing this, and we’re not ready to do it yet, for sure, but we can’t just suspend global air travel for the next year,” Kenney said.
In Fort McMurray, business leaders are still pushing forward with long-term plans for massive events.
Thousands of people are expected to visit the city for the 2022 Arctic Winter Games, the 2021 New Holland Canadian Junior Curling Championship, and dozens of trade shows and conferences planned for next year.
“I think the more you have going on in your region, the more you are able to see the story that it’s a good region to move to,” said Sieger.
-with files from Amanda Stephenson
lbeamish@postmedia.com
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