Many Canadians rethinking summer vacation plans following political unrest with the US

Many Canadians are opting for ‘staycations’ this summer, providing a boost to local businesses. CTV’s Dylan Dyson reports.

Many Canadians are rethinking their summer vacation plans following the political unrest between Canada and the United States.

Getaways normally planned for south of the border during the summer months are being cancelled, with some choosing to spend their vacations closer to home, where their dollar can go further as well.

“We thought about (going to the States),” said Almonte resident Laura Guindon, who was camping with her family at Splash Valley Waterpark and Resort in Cobden Friday.

“We were thinking about maybe Lake George, but with everything going on, we just we decided against it.”

The waterpark, roughly 100 kilometres west of Ottawa, says it’s for that very reason that it is expecting a busy summer ahead, with bookings filling up fast.

“I’ve had some feedback from people that have booked and said they normally travel and they’re not going to this year,” said Splash Valley assistant manager Valeria Dombrowski.

“They’re going to stay local. So, I believe we’ve seen an increase in the bookings.”

Splash Valley offers a variety of accommodations on site from rough camping spots to luxury cabins. Day passes are also available for the waterpark starting at $45.

Guindon says staying local alleviates the stressors of travel to the USA while allow her dollars to be spent to the fullest extent.

“Especially with the dollar, it’s kind of unknown too, like, you just don’t know how much it’s going to be, it could change. You could book for X amount of dollars, and then you get there and the dollar changes and all of a sudden the cost is way higher than what you were expecting.”

Deep in the Ottawa Valley in Beachburg, the Whitewater Inn is also seeing an uptick in bookings due to Canadians looking to stay local.

Owner Cindy Jamieson, who also operates Valley Cycle Tours, says the Whitewater Inn can offer rooms under $200 a night, often beating the price of major hotels, and looking tourists to spend their money elsewhere while on vacation.

“Going out of town, the shock value is a lot,” said Jamieson, referring to hotel bills.

“So you get a lot more value for your dollar coming here, and then you have extra budget to spend on other things like renting bikes, going rafting, going river boarding, golf.”

There are also opportunities to make the most of summer while staying within the city of Ottawa.

Ottawa Tourism has launched the new Ottawa Pass, which allows families to visit five attractions across the city for a set price of $100.

“That’s what we’re trying to target, you know, giving people an affordable but fun, and vibrant vacation in Ottawa.”

• Sign up now for daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
• The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App