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COVID-19 and Domestic Tourism in Canada (2020) By Shannon Baxter With international travel restrictions still mandatory to most countries, some Canadians have chosen to travel within the borders of Canada. This of course raises multiple concerns about the spread of the COVID-19 virus throughout the country. Some people have chosen to take trips to more isolated parts of the country, whereas some travel to more populated cities for a change of scenery. Travel between provinces is allowed but it is suggested that each traveler monitors their health and pays attention to each area's specific rules and safety guidlines. Travelling between provinces does not have a mandatory two-week quarantine period but travellers are advised to travel safely and respectfully. This subsection of the archive will document the many ways tourists have been travelling across Canada during the pandemic, the concerns this raises, and ways to travel safely while following official government COVID-19 guidelines.
The most common form of domestic tourism in Canada is travelling between provinces. Every province has individual restrictions as well as standard national restrictions. Even though essential travel is encouraged, interprovincial travel has stayed open with few limitations. When travelling interprovincially, there is no mandatory quarantine period, although it is recommended that travellers social distance and wear face masks when necessary. The majority of tourists in Canada are choosing to visit national parks or other outdoor attractions when travelling interprovincially. Because of social distancing measures, parks and sites have had to make modifications to their services and recommended that tourists follow their guidelines. Tourists that are visiting parks across Canada are encouraged to wear a non-medical mask or face covering when visiting indoor spaces. Tourists are also encouraged to carry a supply of hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes, and to avoid contact with frequently touched surfaces when possible. On outdoor trails, visitors must let others know their intentions to pass, yield to oncoming users, and step off trails whenever possible. In addition to this, Canadians are being encouraged by Parks Canada to stay close to home whenever possible and explore local trails and parks during non-peak hours. Trips in the outdoors are just as important as trips to bigger cities when it comes to social distancing and tourist safety is always a priority.
Many tourists have opted to travel to bigger cities in Canada such as Toronto. Canadian COVID-19 guidelines are more strict in areas of high concentration, meaning that more businesses have had to close in bigger cities. Some of the biggest hits to the tourism industry have been in amusement parks, provincial parks, and restaurants. In May 2020, Ontario began opening businesses again while carefully and gradually lifting restrictions. Because of this, many people chose to visit Toronto during the summer of 2020. Similar to trips to more remote areas, face coverings are mandatory in indoor spaces and sanitization is required. Despite the many restrictions, tourism in Toronto has stayed open with many attractions for visitors to see. Hotels and motels stay open for tourists with added safety precautions, including closure of public pools and extra cleaning staff. Entertainment spaces, libraries, and cinemas are closed, encouraging tourists to visit outdoor attractions while still social distancing. For example, The Toronto Islands remain open to tourists, with ferries operating at half capacity on a reduced schedule. All visitors are required to buy tickets ahead of time and wear face coverings if they choose to take the ferry. Big cities across Canada have adopted the same practices so that both tourists and residents remain safe during this time.
Canadian tourism businesses have safety measures set in place for the benefit of travellers, their communities, and their staff. Since more than 232,000 tourism businesses are small and independently owned, the safety of guests and employees is a primary concern. For tourism businesses, Destination Canada has set in place four main guidelines for businesses to follow in order for travellers to stay safe and feel comfortable while travelling. The first of these is staying informed. COVID-19 guidelines across provinces changes continually, so both travellers and businesses must keep up with all regulations. The second of these rules is an emphasis on safety. Above all, people will continue to travel despite restrictions and it is important that tourists have a safe and stress-free experience. Businesses are advised to create new content for their websites and social media sites showcasing the safety measures that are being implemented. Showing that a tourism destination takes pride in keeping tourists safe means that the Canadian tourism industry can stay open safely. The last of these guidelines are adapting tourism businesses and catering to the off-season of travelling. To limit social interactions between tourists, Canadian businesses are encouraged to advertise individual and outdoor activities. According to Destination Canada, about 70% of tourists are interested in avoiding large groups of people while travelling and 57% do not intend to travel during the winter season meaning that the tourism sector will become more safe as time goes on.
In terms of the economic impacts of tourism and COVID-19, there have been devastating affects. According to forecasts by Statistics Canada, the tourism sector lost up to 440,000 jobs in 2020 and an additonal 133,000-143,000 indirect jobs in other sectors related to tourism. Because of this, the Bank of Canada has predicted that the tourism economy will not return to normal until 2022. This shows that even though tourism is still happening within Canada, it has greatly decreased from previous years because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of this drop in tourism, almost 58,000 businesses are at risk of closing if they haven’t closed already. Since the initial outbreak, revenue losses have reached of one billion dollars with is 82% less than last year. This level of loss and uncertainty in the Canadian tourism industry will have a lasting impact on events and businesses for many years to come.
In conclusion, the tourism industry of Canada remains open with the goals of encouraging social distancing and enjoying the outdoors. Above all, tourists are aksed to monitor their own health for symptoms of COVID-19 to prevent the virus from spreading. Despite large hits to the economy, tourists are still advised to stay home when possible in order for the industry to open back up as soon as possible.
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.March Domestic Plane Ticket, 2020
Closed Ontario Tourism Center, 2020.
Tobermory Lighthouse and Tourists, 2020.
Rocky Mountains Tourism Trip, 2020. Ontario Highway Sign, 2020
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