Canada’s pandemic-stricken tourism industry is seeing some optimistic signs of recovery as the country enters its first season in three years largely free of COVID-19 restrictions.
One of the hardest-hit industries in Canada has been slow to bounce back as the Omicron variant and public health measures stalled travel plans.
But now as cases drop and many of those restrictions lift, some tour guides are scrambling to keep up with demand and hotel occupancy is nearing pre-pandemic highs.
Toronto’s tourism marketing agency reports the city’s hotel occupancy hit 80 per cent in June for the first time in more than two years.
And while tourism activity has far from recovered, the latest Statistics Canada numbers show activity is trending in the right direction.
Ottawa Tourism says its demand for hotel rooms is still about 10 to 15 per cent below the pre-pandemic average, but there is hope the Canada Day long weekend will help boost those numbers.
The Canadian Press
The Canadian Press
