Horgan encourages summer staycations to boost domestic tourism

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — B.C.’s premier says he thinks it will be a record-breaking summer for tourism in the province.

John Horgan is encouraging British Columbians to put their holiday money into the local economy while travel restrictions remain in place.

“We’ll see tourism, domestic tourism — I think pick up — and in fact break records as British Columbians stay home and enjoy the beauty and the splendours of every corner of the province,” he says.

Horan says the Phase 3 reopening plan is expected to start mid-June.

Like campgrounds that open Monday, hotels and resorts province-wide will follow in the next phase.

“People want to book arrangements at their favourite place in B.C. and you can certainly can do that now. But there’s no guarantee you’ll be able to get there.”

While cases decrease, Horgan is hesitant to get locals’ hopes up since the virus has the potential to be a roadblock for road trips.

“We can’t lose sight of the road we’ve travelled, we’ve all worked really hard to get here, and we can’t just flick a switch and get back to normal.”

The province has also taken a hit since the cruise ship industry won’t be able to dock in B.C. ports. It’s a loss of a $2-billion in economic activity that the province hopes staycations will help offset.

“We’re gonna do everything we can, with an aggressive promotion campaign in the days ahead to encourage people to visit every part of B.C. if they’ve got the time to do so,” he says.