In this segment of Road to Recovery with Douglas Magazine, CHEK’s Jasmine Bala chats with Ken Bailey, general manager of the Malahat SkyWalk project.
As more British Columbians get vaccinated and with new travel restrictions aimed at limiting the spread of COVID-19 in place, health officials are optimistic the province could see some return to a normal summer tourism season in 2021.
Set to open this season for the first time is the Malahat SkyWalk, a new, major tourism attraction coming to Vancouver Island. The project is being built by A.Spire by Nature, a B.C.-based company specializing in creating accessible, self-guided, nature-based experiences, in partnership with the Malahat Nation, on whose land the structure is being built.
Some of the creators of the new Malahat SkyWalk have worked on the popular Sea to Sky Gondola attraction near Squamish.
This new attraction is described as “the ultimate natural high” with views from the lookout at 250 metres above sea level, according to its website. Visitors on the lookout will be able to see 360-degree views of two countries, including the Finlayson Arm, Saanich Peninsula, Gulf Islands and Coast Mountains range.
It’s shaped like a spiral ramp, with an elevated boardwalk leading to its 10-storey spiral tower — the first of its kind in North America.
Bailey explains in this episode of Road to Recovery what it’s like building and planning a tourism attraction during a pandemic, what the partnership with the Malahat Nation looks like, and what the Malahat SkyWalk experience will be like for visitors.
READ MORE: Road to Recovery: Construction industry faces new challenges one year into the pandemic
Road to Recovery is done in partnership with Douglas Magazine.
Jasmine Bala
