Tourism operators in Victoria eager for international borders to reopen
Tuesday was the first day British Columbians could travel anywhere in the province on vacation. But Victoria’s Inner Harbour — normally a mecca for summer tourists — remained quiet, with few folks from the mainland taking advantage of their new freedom.
Up island, however, Tofino was already feeling the onset of recreational travellers from the mainland, according to Samantha Hackett, the manager of the Long Beach Lodge Resort.
"We have more arrivals today than what we expected," said Hackett. "This is definitely the opening of our summer season, we have higher occupancy than we've had since last November."
Meanwhile, BC Ferries says with good weather in the forecast and no travel ban in place, it has added more sailings for the weekend, as it expects it will be busy.
"Not only is it supposed to be sunny, but it's also Father’s Day, so many people will probably be wanting to visit with their family and friends," said Deborah Marshall, spokesperson for BC Ferries.
But in Victoria, Brooke Harris, with the Inn at Laurel Point hotel, says urban centres aren’t anticipating the same demand as destinations like Tofino.
What the tourism industry in the city really needs is international tourists to return before things return to any semblance of how they were pre-pandemic, says Harris.
"Being the proximity that we have to Washington state and that side of the border, it’s huge," said Harris. "(International travel) is a huge part that we're missing. So we're quite anxious to see those borders open when it's safe to do so."
So far, no date has been set for when the Canada-U.S. border will reopen for tourism. But on Thursday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is meeting with all the premiers to get their feedback on the issue.
B.C. Premier John Horgan addressed that upcoming meeting on Tuesday, during a press conference with Western Canadian premiers.
"There’s absolute consensus that we want to get back as quickly a possible to whatever normal will be, but we also expect the Federal Government to be leading on this question," said Horgan.
For Victoria’s tourism industry there seems to be consensus that a safe reopening of international borders is needed sooner rather than later in order to turn flagging fortunes around.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada Disability Benefit needs to safeguarded from clawbacks, MPs unanimously agree
The federal government needs to safeguard the incoming Canada Disability Benefit from clawbacks and do more to ensure it actually meets the stated aim of lifting people living with disabilities out of poverty, MPs from all parties agree.
BREAKING Security guard shot, seriously injured outside of Drake's Toronto mansion
A security guard working at Drake’s Bridle Path mansion in Toronto was seriously injured in a shooting outside the residence early Tuesday morning, police said.
King Charles too busy to see son Prince Harry during U.K. trip
Prince Harry will not be seeing his father King Charles during his current visit to Britain as the monarch will be too busy, Harry's spokesperson said on Tuesday.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Turfing Poilievre from House a clear sign of desperation by Trudeau Liberals
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca
Your body needs these three forms of movement every week
Movement is movement, right? Not exactly. Here’s what your body is looking for in addition to your morning walk or yoga session, according to experts.
Six Canadian children repatriated from detention in Syria, Global Affairs Canada says
The Global Affairs Department says six Canadian children have been repatriated from detention in northeastern Syria.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
Canadian cadets rock mullets and place second at U.S. military competition
Sporting mullets, Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets placed second in an annual military skills competition in the U.S.
TikTok, ByteDance sue to block U.S. law seeking sale or ban of app
TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance said on Tuesday they filed suit in U.S. federal court seeking to block a law signed by President Joe Biden that would force the divestiture of the short video app used by 170 million Americans or ban its use.