Local tourism industry making a comeback after long vacation
Posted May 6, 2022 04:24:00 PM.
The tourism industry was one of the hardest hit during the pandemic. A constant strain of lock downs mixed with restrictions saw many places like the Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory close down for months at a time, unable to generate revenue.
Executive director and curator Adrienne Brewster is already seeing an increase in admissions ever since the conservatory reopened again this past February.
“We do anticipate it will be busy for this upcoming tourism season.”
They noticed a pent up demand for entertainment from the get go and now require people purchase tickets in advance, as they have become too busy to accept walk-ins.
The conservatory was closed on and off for a total of 11 months, but remained open as they cared for thousands of plants, bugs and animals.
“We had to continue to pay for that and care for our live collection when we weren’t receiving revenue. That was a difficult time,” Brewster says.
“We are so grateful for the community’s support throughout the pandemic. We're seeing international travelers more and more.”
Explore Waterloo Region CEO, Michele Saran, has heard from operators of local hotels and attractions that sales are up and tourists are starting to come back.
“There's incredible demand because there is a lot of pent up energy to go out and travel and people are still a little wary of going overseas. They're looking at what’s close to home and we are closer to home for a lot of places in Ontario.”
“There’s tournaments coming back, everything’s opening back up again, things are doing well.”
Another factor expected to boost local tourism is the temporary Ontario Staycation Tax Credit.
The province established the one-year measure to encourage Ontario families to explore the province, while helping tourism and hospitality sectors recover from the financial impacts of the pandemic.
Ontario residents can claim 20 per cent of their eligible 2022 accommodation expenses from Ontario stays when filing their 2022 tax returns.
Anticipating a resurgence in local tourist traffic, Explore Waterloo Region has created guides for people visiting the region for extended stays, often promoting the extensive trails and unique culinary scene.
“I think when people come here this summer they are going to get a wonderful, welcoming experience,” Saran says.
“We can’t afford another lockdown right now, no business can.”
More people and organizations are starting to plan events again after a long hiatus, bringing back the festivals we used to go to every year as well as some new ones.
“Oktoberfest is going to be even bigger and better going forward. We are going to do a patio map for the region so people can just go outside and have some fun.”
Explore Waterloo Region is also looking at generating tourism from other avenues, such as business and sports tournaments. Saran says they are trying to get big conventions to come to the region for the evolving industries like tech or agriculture.
Saran and her team are working with the City of Hamilton to secure the bid for the 2030 Commonwealth Games.
They were working with London on a joint bid for the next Junior Hockey Championships but lost to another city.
The local tourism industry is coming back, noted Saran, mentioning the events and festivals planned in Cambridge will help drive people back to the region, generating revenue for the local businesses that lost so much over the last two years.
“Our industry was the first hit, it was the hardest hit and it’s going to be the last to recover.”
