Parts of British Columbia’s tourism industry are facing another uphill battle with an uncertain recovery horizon after this year’s devastating storms.
Some attractions and landmarks were badly damaged by flooding in November, while roads ripped apart by landslides mean some operators will be left without the typical Christmas bump in their results.
Walt Judas, executive director of the British Columbia Tourism Association, said the extent of the damage is not yet clear, but some short-term impacts have already been felt.
“It is difficult to assess the damage of any specific asset, but that said, we know that without access to places like the Okanagan or points in between, that really hurts a lot of tourism businesses,” he said.
Both hotels and ski slopes suffered immediate cancellations after the storms, he said.
The floods exacerbated losses to the industry caused by this summer’s wildfires and the lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
BC Parks said several parks in the Fraser Valley were damaged by the storms, including Cultus Lake, Sasquatch and Golden Ears provincial parks.
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Video shared online shows huge concrete blocks strewn at an entrance to the historic Othello Tunnels in Coquihalla Canyon Provincial Park, as well as wood debris and washed out trails.
Canadian Pacific Railway built the tunnels through a granite canyon as part of a railway linking Kootenays to the coast in the early 1900s. The trails are long gone and it has become a popular hiking destination with spectacular views just outside of Hope, BC.
Rob Wilson, BC Parks area supervisor for South Fraser, said a geotechnical assessment will be the first step in understanding the damage. The schedule for repairs is unknown and not a top priority, given the most urgent demands to support critical infrastructure and flood-affected residents.
Damaged parks, reduced vacation trips amid flood impacts on British Columbia tourism. #BCFlood #BCTourism
“The impacts are extensive,” he said, noting that the access road to the tunnels was also destroyed.
“We have yet to get a full picture of how extensive it is.”
Wilson asked the public to be careful when accessing trail systems after storms and to avoid parks that are closed.
The Big White Ski Resort near Kelowna, BC, was already poised for an unusual Christmas season with a disproportionate number of Lower Mainland resident bookings due to the pandemic.
“We are approaching our most important season of the year and what we are finding now is that between 50 and 55 percent of our reservations for mountain accommodation are from the Lower Continent for the period of Christmas and New Years,” said the Senior Vice President President Michael Ballingall said.
“That is way above average.”
In a typical year, about 80 percent of the reserves would come from Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Ontario, with the lower continent making up the remainder.
Unfortunately, with nonessential travel banned on major flood-damaged roads, about 25 percent of 30 percent of reservations have been canceled since the storms, he said.
The company is encouraging Lower Mainland residents to travel across the United States, but Ballingall said he has feelings for those facing personal consequences more severe than his industry.
“There are so many unfortunate reasons, we have clients from Fraser Valley that have been overwhelmed. Each client that we are dealing with has a different reason why they cannot come,” he said.
Travel cancellations mean that hotels and restaurants, which can get 35 to 40 percent of the revenue made during the vacation period, are also seeing a drop, Ballingall said.
Both Ballingall and Judas said they have received regular communications from the government about road recovery and reopening plans.
“We understand that business will not normally happen this Christmas and we just hope that people are recovering. There are so many losses,” added Ballingall.
Transportation Minister Rob Fleming said Thursday that British Columbia’s Coquihalla Highway could reopen earlier than expected in early January if the weather cooperates.
The highway, which connects the lower part of the continent with the interior and is a major truck route, had more than 130 kilometers of roads damaged and five bridges were washed away.
However, the Transportation Ministry said that until Coquihalla can reopen, Highways 3 and 99 would remain restricted to essential vacation travel.
Judas said airlines have added routes to help move people between the Lower Continent and the Interior with the routes closed to non-essential travel.
The false perception that everything is closed for business can also be detrimental, he added. As an example, he said that the Abbotsford, BC airport has remained operational.
The recovery will proceed smoothly when there is as much predictability as possible, Judas said, adding that he is satisfied with the government’s communications.
“It is working together with the industry and the government and all the other players to try to find a way forward,” he said.
This Canadian Press report was first published on December 12, 2021.
Reference-www.nationalobserver.com