Ottawa Tourism says international tourists needed for industry rebound
Tourism the first hit, and 'will be the last industry to fully recover', says Ottawa Tourism
Double-decker tour buses are back on Ottawa streets this summer and full of Canadian travellers, but Ottawa Tourism says the struggling industry needs international travellers to rebound.
Tour buses have been allowed to run since June 30, when Ontario entered the second phase of reopening, with up to 25 per cent capacity.
Tour operators in Canada's capital still have a long road ahead before making a full recovery, though, said Ottawa Tourism spokesperson Jantine Van Kregten.
"Even if that leisure visitation comes from fellow Canadians, we welcome that [and] we're really looking forward to that," said Van Kregten. "But for the industry as a whole to recover, it's going to take more than [Canadian tourists]."
Tourism revenues have suffered from rigid border restrictions that have been in place for nearly 16 months. The federal government set aside $1 billion for the struggling sector in its April budget.
Ottawa's tourism industry has benefited from targeted funding, including $8 million announced this week from the provincial government — $6 million for Ottawa Tourism and $2 million to the Shaw Centre.
Compared to other tourism markets, Ottawa is well positioned to recover due to the number of domestic travellers, according to Van Kregten. Even before the pandemic kept cross-border visitors away, many tourists came from neighbouring cities and provinces.
But international travellers are difficult to replace. Van Kregten said they tend to stay longer and spend more money than people visiting from within Canada.
"The tourism industry as a whole has really suffered during the pandemic. It was the first hit industry, the hardest hit industry, and we predict it will be the last industry to fully recover," she said.
'Very different than normal'
Etienne Cameron, manager of Gray Line Ottawa and Lady Dive Tours, said every customer he's spoken to since reopening is Canadian and much of the demand for tickets comes from families travelling within Canada.
Dorje Namgyal brought his kids from Toronto to Ottawa for his family's first taste of tourism since the pandemic started.
He said he's conscious of the risk of travelling during the pandemic, but with vaccination rates climbing, he said it's time for tourism to return.
"It's always in the back of our mind, but at the same time, we're trying not to hold back too much," he said.
For now, tour operators like Cameron are glad to be back on the road and remain hopeful border restrictions will be lifted sometime this summer.
"We're hoping. We're [also] really hoping that Step 3 is going to loosen up restrictions and bring more people," he said.
