SOUND OFF: Tourism industry raises urgency for stimulus package as end of summer approaches
Tourism has been one of the hardest hit industries from the COVID-19 pandemic. With borders still closed, restaurant capacity diminished and the international traveller staying at-home – the tourism industry needs help and it needs it soon.
Tourism in British Columbia generates more than $20 billion dollars in revenue annually, directly contributing $8.3 billion to our GDP (Gross Domestic Product). For perspective, the mining industry contributed $5.2 billion to the GDP and oil and gas $4.9 billion. Tourism employs upwards of 300,000 people, with over half of these jobs dependent upon being able to travel. We must come together to support these individuals that create the charm and culture that has made British Columbia a world-renowned destination.
As of today, the tourism industry is on life support surviving on local visitors. We are eternally grateful to have been able to welcome visitors primarily from Western Canada to rediscover our backyard, but the local travellers simply have different habits that cannot be replicated.
The local traveller does not stay in hotels, they do not shop for keepsakes, and they do not experience a destination the same way someone from overseas or the United States would. We understand and have advocated the decisions put forward by government for the safety of the public – even though we knew that the costs would be dire.