Pandemic Continues
to Impact Tourism Businesses
Dear MLA Ashton,
I am writing today as a community focused business owner of 14 years who relies greatly, but not solely, on tourism. As I sit here and update my spreadsheet projections with fall/winter expenses and explore creative ways we can increase revenues for the coming season, that due to COVID, are limited and much different than usual, I can’t help but worry for our future. I reassure myself by thinking about the importance of what we do in our community, about the impact we have on those who live here and why we continue to fight.
Part of that fight is to ensure that government understands the true value of tourism and why the industry deserves support. Although I know often money speaks loudest and I am confident the financial value of tourism will become evident throughout this pandemic, I want to be an additional voice to express that the importance of tourism for our community and Province reaches far beyond the increase of the visitor’s spend over a few summer months. Tourism is far more important than that and I want to outline the reasons why I ask you to fight alongside me to ensure the longevity of businesses like mine:
Tourism helps preserve our culture and history. It gives us a gateway to share stories, to learn from the past and to show the world that they can be a part of writing the future and we need this now more than ever.
It teaches people about our environment, the flora and fauna, the soil, the air, the water. It helps us access nature and connects us to the earth and each other in the process and we need this now more than ever.
It teaches us about each other, about our neighbours, other communities and how they live. It expands boundaries and respect for other cultures and communities by allowing you to be part of them and we need this now more than ever.
It helps bring people out of their comfort zones, it may push them to try something new and allow them to overcome anxieties, to know the world is often not as scary is it may seem on tv. They may challenge themselves physically or mentally and in turn they will most likely connect emotionally. This is so important for our mental health and we need this now more than ever.
It gives us active time with our families and friends and allows us to connect with each other through experiences, rather than devices and we need this now more than ever.
It offers employment opportunities for our youth who learn the value of a dollar and hopefully gain respect for the adults in their lives who work every day to provide for them. They learn humility and hustle, how to use a broom, how to count back change, how to look into the eye of a stranger, how to face their own fears and become part of the world. It perhaps even allows them to help their own families that are struggling financially. It gives them purpose and we need this now more than ever.
In our business tourism revenues subsidize the most important work that we do with children and outdoor education. It creates a platform for us to build leadership programs, to show our youth that there is a whole other world out there, that riding your bike and paddling a kayak is just as physically and mentally beneficial as playing a game on a sports field. That there are all sorts of jobs out there to explore, that they can turn their passion into their career if they choose to do so. That having a respect for self, others and our environment is a simple, yet invaluable way to live our lives. That they too can have an impact on their community and our planet, and we need this now more than ever.
Tourism gives people access to the ‘farm to table’ experience. It allows people to see where their food comes from or should come from. It allows them to touch the soil that grows the food they eat and the wine they drink. They can pick their own produce, which will always taste better than anything bought in a store. We need this now more than ever.
The tourism industry is full of people who are passionate about their trade, about their creations, their jobs, their lives, many of whom work to play every day. They enjoy life to it’s fullest and their passion for their craft, their environment, their community, is contagious and we need this now more than ever.
In our region our leaders are focused on sustainable tourism and the benefits it has for our communities. We are thinking long term, looking at the bigger picture and we understand the impact we can have as human beings on this planet. We want to share what we have and what we know with the rest of the world.
We actively work to make the world a better place for at least one person every day. What we do has a ripple affect that reaches so far beyond the common misperception that tourism value is just money spent over a few peak months. We know that’s important too, but this letter is to remind you that all the other things I’ve listed above will have an impact on our economy and the health of our communities forever and we need these things now more than ever.
Thank you for your consideration in joining me to ensure that businesses like mine have a fighting chance through these challenging times. We are excited for the opportunity to continue tell this story.
Sincerely,
Lyndie Hill
Note: MLA Dan Ashton has re-posted the letter and shared it with Premier Horgan and Minister Beare.
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