The pandemic is hitting tourism hard and operators are struggling.
Carol Alderdice, president and CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of New Brunswick, said opening up the borders would be a good idea for tourism.
“It’s absolutely been devastating as you can imagine, with everything being cancelled and everything being closed and everything moving or not moving and the bills still coming in. It’s been very, very devastating for the tourism industry,” she said.
Alderdice said according to four different surveys sent out, 68 per cent of their members have lost 76 to 100 per cent of revenue.
“New Brunswickers only make up 20 to 25 per cent of the tourism revenue in New Brunswick, so there’s not enough to go around to keep all the operators in business,” she said.
Alderdice said the ‘staycations’ will help rejuvenate the economy somewhat, at a certain level but that isn’t the only thing she likes about them.
“What I like about the staycation is that New Brunswickers will be able to see all the gems that New Brunswick has. A lot of New Brunswickers don’t realize how beautiful this province is, and how much there is to offer, so that is the silver lining if you want to call it,” she said.
Alderdice said COVID-19 cases in Campbellton are a concern for tourism, but it is localized, so the risk is low.
“I really feel for our Campbellton friends because they really feel isolated and we’re looking forward to them opening up to the yellow stage again like the rest of the province,” she said.
Alderdice said the industry is strong and they will get back to what they had, even if it takes a few more years.
