Staycation, it is: Tourism industry looks for locals as out-of-province visitors banned

Tourism businesses in Newfoundland and Labrador are being forced to study whether they can stay afloat with justthe "staycation" market, following a government move to ban out-of-province travellers over COVID-19.

Restrictions on non-essential travel to the province begin Monday,hitting at a time when, in other years, the summer tourism season would be ramping up.

Withvisitors from Ontario,the United States and other jurisdictions now off the table, tourism operators in the province are changing gears.

"I want to salvage the season or anything of it that I can," said Deborah Bourden, a co-owner of the Anchor Inn in Twillingate.

"I have no idea what that's going to look like."

Bourden and her business partner own three inns and three different restaurants in Twillingate, which would normally be opened by now.

She said she believes most tourism businesses won't make money on local visitors as their spending habits just aren't the same but it could help stop the bleeding.

"It's going to help you stay in the game. And I think for most of us right now, we focus on how do we get from here to this time next year," she said.

"I'm thinking, you know, if I do this measure and this measure, then maybe it will help me. But it's going to take a lot of time, maybe years for sure, to make up those losses."

Dates unknown for operators

On Wednesday, Premier Dwight Ball said the government will look to promote vacationsinside the province once it issafe to do so.

Dr. Janice Fitzgerald, the province's chief medical officer of health, said Thursday that any decision to relax guidelines on non-essential travel is hard to forecast, and would depend on the disease trajectory in the province, as well as in particular regions.

Under the province's plan, unveiled Thursday, restaurant dining rooms won't be allowed to reopen until what's called"Alert Level 3." While the province is expected to move to Level 4 on May 11, no date has yet been given as to when Level 3 may happen, although it could be a month later if COVID-19 infections can be managed.

In Bonavista, tour guide Bonnie Stagg said she believes her and her husband's day-tours business will remain shut this year, but she is hopeful that her new cafcould open to the public again.

She supports government measures to limit traffic from outside of the province, butshe says between citizen fears and government restrictions, the current situation has made it impossible to plan.

"Are we going to plan for our own province travelling, our own residents travelling? Or are we going to plan to shut down for the season?"she said.

"There's too many up-in-the-airs for tourism right now, and it's really hard to make a decision. So we kind of need a date."

Stagg said she is projecting a shutdown ofthe tour part of her business because it's not something residents of Newfoundland and Labrador are likely to use.

'We have no accidental tourists'

Stagg predicted the tour boat business would also be badly hit, and so would many other small shops that cater to visitors.

"All the little boutiques, a lot of them they sell a lot of higher-end products that a lot of local travellers aren't going to go for."

As for Bourden, she said there are a lot of considerations for when she can open like if she can get her hands on hand sanitizer, which is nearly impossible to find.

Cathy Duke, CEO of Destination St. John's, a tourism marketing organization, says she understands how the order prohibiting non-residents is about putting safety first.

"One thing about Newfoundland and Labrador is that we have no accidental tourists," said Duke.

She said many companies are barely hanging on, which means this summer, staycations will be important to buoy tourism operators.

"There is an opportunity to host our neighbours, and others who live in the province, to really come out and really experience what we all love so much," she said.

No visits to the summer home

Unless the order banning non-residents from entering the province is lifted, Linda and Bill McGillivray, who have a summer home onthe Bonavista Peninsula, likely cannot visit this year.

The couple, who live near Kinmount, Ont.,have been spending summers in Champney's East in Trinity Bight for the past 13 years.

"I just can't imagine not going to Newfoundland every year," she said.

McGIllivray said she loves the province and the people here, but she doesn't want to bring the virus by accident. But she also doesn't consider herself a tourist.

"I think because we have a place there, we're not tourists. We stick pretty close to home and we try and live a pretty simple life there. We fish, we pick berries, we hike, we go to the pub," she said with a laugh.

McGillivray said they are also part of the economy around Trinity, a historic village that is a tourism hub.

"We try to support the local grocery store. We go to the local gas station and get supplies there. We try to attend most of the entertainment at English Harbour or in Trinity," she said.

"I think if we all can't go, it's going to be a huge impact on the economy."

McGillivray is sad at the prospect of not seeing friends in the Trinity area this year."Even though they're not our real family, they're our adopted family, and we truly love them like family," she said.

If the order isn't lifted, it means they have to find someone to do summer maintenance on their property.

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