Tourism Week: Ontario and Quebec Looking Forward
May 25, 2021 ctn_admin
| As Canada’s largest provinces, Ontario and Quebec have faced the biggest waves of the pandemic in the country, but they are finding ways to win the battle. That’s good news for the tourism sector, which is looking forward to a reduction in travel restrictions and the return of visitors. “We’re absolutely ready,” says Christopher Bloore, the President and CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario. “Ontario is excited about welcoming back tourists to our province as soon as government restrictions are lifted,” he says. “Tourism operators in Ontario have implemented the highest standards of health and safety protocols since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Millions of dollars have been spent on adapting premises, training staff and changing processes to ensure a seamless, safe and welcoming environment when businesses are given the go-ahead.” Meanwhile, some recently announced changes to the travel restriction rules in Quebec have provided more clarity and “a more predictable path ahead, especially with the confirmation that people will now be able to travel between regions in Québec,” says Kim Martel, the Senior Communications Manager for L’Alliance de l’industrie touristique du Québec. But she cautions that, even with a more open travel environment in the province, there will still be necessary public health measures in place at tourism firms throughout the summer. These will include wearing a mask inside businesses and limitations to the number of people that can gather in various settings. “So even though the season will be more open and there will be more possibilities for activities, there are still protocols to be applied, and businesses are well-versed on how to apply them by now,” says Martel. |
| LEADING BY EXAMPLE Some tourism companies in both Ontario and Quebec have found ways to innovate and adapt to the restrictive government rules that are necessitated by the pandemic. For example, Escape Manor is an Ottawa-based company that runs escape room experiences in Ottawa, Toronto, Hamilton, Cornwall, Saskatoon, Regina and even Brisbane, Australia. To tackle closures of in-person activities and changing capacity limit rules, Escape Manor created new virtual escape room experiences that have proven very popular, and that also adhere to hygienic requirements. Saunders Farm is a family-owned farm a short drive southwest of Ottawa that is known for its hedge mazes, farm-fresh food and family activities in summer, and its spooky haunted house-style attraction each October. In summer 2020 (and returning in 2021), the farm offered campfire experiences, whereby visitors enjoy a physically distanced campfire for a few hours, complete with wood for the fire, hot dogs, kettlecorn and a s’mores kit. At Blue Mountain Village near Georgian Bay, the Agora Path of Light was designed as a new COVID-19-safe interactive light experience. On this path, participants encounter a series of lighting installations based on the five elements of air, space, earth, water and fire. From a business perspective, the attraction was conceived to drive incremental visitation to the Blue Mountain destination at a time when traditional events have not been permitted under public health guidelines. The On-The-Grand Drive In, located in Kitchener, was a 25,000-person outdoor amphitheater, but it has been repurposed for use as an outdoor movie theatre by operators Bingemans during the pandemic. The drive-in theatre has a 60’x30’ screen for showing movies, but it also hosts Yuk Yuks comedy events, live band concerts and light shows. In Quebec, many businesses have found ways to adapt to the COVID-19 restrictions, and have shown agility and focus by pivoting to things like online and contact-free solutions for welcoming guests and customers, as well as reorganizing spaces and processes. This includes hotels that have created inventive settings that allow guests to enjoy meals in beautiful, secure and intimate retreats. Québec City’s Winter Carnival is a solid example of the complete redesign of programming to align with public health directives. Notably, ice and snow sculptures were set up in several locations in Québec City to create spaces where visitors could safely take a stroll in beautiful, luminous spaces. In Baie-Saint-Paul, Le Festif music festival has converted itself to “La Petite Affaire,” which has been nicknamed as “the smallest festival of the year.” Programming for the September festival was moved to small locations with limited attendance, revealed only hours before show time to avoid unexpected crowds, and with a battery of adjustments to enhance the customer experience. Those seeking some professional advice on a vacation to Quebec can now contact the Association des agences réceptives et forfaitistes du Québec (ARF-Québec). They have launched the Explore Quebec tourism package platform, which was originally intended for an international audience but has been adapted for domestic vacationers – first Quebec residents and then all Canadians (once restrictions are lifted). The Explore Quebec package takes in some of the more remote regions of the province, and includes a discount of up to 50% on no-frills flights. |
| LOOKING BACK, LOOKING AHEAD Tourism stakeholders in Ontario – and across the country – have worked hard to educate the public and public officials about the devastating impacts of COVID-19 on the tourism industry. Many people know a friend or family member who has lost their job or had their hours reduced, or they know of a business that’s been closed during the pandemic. “In Ontario, we’re fortunate to have world-class tourism experiences in every corner of our province,” says Bloore at the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario, and he wants to remind Ontarians that this great diversity of tourism offerings are sometimes just a short distance from their homes. “We’re confident that with a combination of a phased lifting of restrictions, initial hesitancy for overseas travel, and pent-up demand to travel, Ontarians will see the benefits of supporting domestic tourism operators and their local economies when making their holidays plans this year,” said the Association president. The outlook is much the same in Quebec, where residents have already demonstrated an affinity for the tourism opportunities in their home province. In fact, during the summer of 2020, several regions wound up having strong seasons, after the first wave abated, as many Québécois travellers set out to discover parts of Québec they had never seen, said Kim Martel at L’Alliance de l’industrie touristique du Québec. “We expect this to be even more the case this summer, as restrictions for travel within Québec are lifted and public health guidelines become less restrictive. With vaccinations moving along at a brisk pace, they will certainly feel even safer and more comfortable to do so during the 2021 season.” |
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