In the spirit of Saskatchewan Tourism Week, the provincial government released a set of figures showcasing the impact to the tourism industry caused by the pandemic, but experts in Moose Jaw feel the city’s tourism sector is in better shape than others.
Executive director Jacki L’Heureux-Mason from Tourism Moose Jaw looked back on the last year and admitted parts of the tourism sector here suffered some serious hits during the pandemic hot spots, but she feels Moose Jaw is on a quick path to recovery.
“It actually wasn’t as bad as maybe what we had expected,” said L’Heureux-Mason. “We’ve actually done better than some areas.”
The provincial tourism industry reported that tourism-related spending dropped from $2.17 billion in 2019 to $1.17 billion in 2020. Visits also declined significantly, with 2019 reporting 11.82 million visits and 2020 estimating 7.07 million visits.
Throughout 2020 in Moose Jaw, L’Heureux-Mason said the tourism office saw similar declines, with visitor numbers down by 60 to 90 per cent at times.
“It’s not a perfect reflection of what’s going on in the city, but it is a bit of a reflection,” said L’Heureux-Mason.
The lowest periods coincided with public health restrictions on travel, leaving local businesses to navigate what L’Heureux-Mason agreed was a roller coaster of a year.
March and April of 2021 were the worst months on record, she continued, as the lockdown measures in Regina really decimated Moose Jaw’s visitor numbers.
“It will probably go down as one of the worst springs on record for Moose Jaw businesses,” said L’Heuruex-Mason. “Our shoulder seasons are basically upheld by Regina visitors, because we’re an awesome day trip for them (so) it was a bit devastating when they recommended Regina close because that was holding us up.”
L’Heureux-Mason said that sectors like dine-in eating, nightlife and gift retail were affected the most negatively, with some doors closing permanently due to the dip in tourism traffic. Hotel occupancy was at an extreme low, at some times reaching only 20 per cent.
Most downtown businesses estimated that as much as 80 per cent of their clientele comes from tourism and with downtown foot traffic was visibly reduced this year, L’Heureux-Mason said most downtown spots experienced huge losses.
But for many other owners, shifting their business models mitigated some the financial strain, and those who already had takeout, delivery or even online sales in their business plan adapted well.
“I think you’ll find that a lot of places that specialized in things like takeout had increased numbers, (but) some businesses just were not able to find a way to completely change their business model to adapt,” said L’Heureux-Mason.
An uptake in local patronage also helped keep them afloat, said L’Heureux-Mason, as well as an increase in Saskatchewan tourists travelling close to home.
“We had great local support from Moose Javians, in their own backyard, huge support from Regina, Saskatoon and other areas around the province,” said L’Heureux-Mason. “If they’re experiencing less loss than anticipated, it's only because locals have really stepped up.”
Saskatchewan’s tourism industry is predicting that a full recovery from the losses of the 2020-21 season won’t occur until at least 2023, according to officials. The 2021 tourism season is predicting $1.71 billion in tourism-related spending and 9.42 million visits to the province.
L’Heureux-Mason anticipates Moose Jaw’s recovery will be much quicker, and could see a return to pre-pandemic levels possibly by the end of next summer.
She’s expecting to welcome provincial visitors back to Tourism Moose Jaw this summer, and out-of-province visitors as early as later this year, provided public health conditions stay on course.
“My gut says that we are going to see a snapback recovery here, because we are a small location,” said L’Heureux-Mason. “I have hope for the summer [and] we’ll be ready to adapt as needed.”
Saskatchewan Tourism Week takes place from May 23-29, with the provincial government hosting virtual town hall meetings on May 26 and 27 to reconnect with tourism industry owners.
