Friday, March 12, 2021
It’s been almost a year since Nova Scotia shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. And while many industries and individuals have been financially impacted by the resulting public health restrictions, there may be no industry more affected than the province’s seasonal tourism industry.
On March 2, Destination Eastern and Northumberland Shores Tourism Association (DEANS), held a virtual tourism town hall for industry operators and stakeholders to examine the year that was and opportunities for the coming tourism season in Nova Scotia.
Ann Marie Bagnall, owner/operator of Seawind Landing Inn located in Charlos Cove, Guysborough County, attended the event and said there “were about 40 to 45 attendees – a mix of government and tourism operators (in accommodations, experience providers, food, etc.).”
Bagnall said the MPs expressed that they wanted to continue to hear from tourism operators in terms of what they need, what’s working and what’s not. Event attendees appreciated that over the year programs had been adjusted based on industry concerns and comments.
One of the main concerns for industry operators was the fate of the CEWS program in the coming months. Bagnall said that the program was set to continue until June, but the calculations for claims had not been set for after mid-March.
“For us, if CEWS hadn’t of existed we couldn’t have carried on business like we did last year. It allowed us to keep all of our employees fully engaged during the summer. It mitigated any impact of COVID that they would have felt if I’d had to lay them off. If CEWS wasn’t there we couldn’t have done what we did. It’s critical,” said Bagnall.
One of the main points of entry for tourists coming to Nova Scotia is via air. A presentation during the town hall by Tourism Nova Scotia representatives relayed just how big a hit reduced air travel had on the local tourism industry this past year. Prior to COVID-19, 79 per cent of visitors from western Canada came to Nova Scotia by air, as did 50 per cent of visitors from Ontario and 49 per cent of those from the United States.
That being said, Nova Scotia has a great opportunity to capitalize on the pent-up demand for travel, once vaccines are widely distributed and travel restrictions are dropped or reduced. The province has much to offer and has gotten a lot of positive press regarding the safety of the province during the pandemic.
The tourism industry is working on new event planning strategies and marketing campaigns to boost home-grown tourism this coming season. And DEANS, said Bagnall, is only a call away for local tourism operators when they have a question – about anything. The organisation is also offering free memberships in 2021 to celebrate its 10th anniversary.
Tags: nova scotia
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