Maureen Gordon has weathered hard times before.

She and her husband began running ecotourism outfit Maple Leaf Adventures out of Vancouver about a month before the 9/11 terrorist attacks devastated international travel in 2001.

The rebound was relatively quick. Fallout from COVID-19 has proven much more prolonged.

香蕉视频直播淭he pandemic of course was incredibly tumultuous and scary, as it was, I think, for most tour businesses in Canada,香蕉视频直播� said Gordon, who runs week-long sojourns on a schooner, converted tug boat and catamaran along the Pacific coast.

香蕉视频直播淚t was a really traumatic time. We couldn香蕉视频直播檛 operate at all through various government shutdowns,香蕉视频直播� she recalled. 香蕉视频直播淲e were scared, our bank was scared.香蕉视频直播�

While 2022 was 香蕉视频直播渋ncredible,香蕉视频直播� as Canadians looking to expend pent-up energy surged back to domestic travel, 2023 saw a 香蕉视频直播渉iccup香蕉视频直播� amid rising interest rates that dampened some sojourners香蕉视频直播� spirits.

香蕉视频直播淎lthough the tourism industry 香蕉视频直播� in terms of interest in travel and booking 香蕉视频直播� is recovering, the businesses are really hurting,香蕉视频直播� Gordon said. 香蕉视频直播淚 think all of us are carrying the highest debt loads we香蕉视频直播檝e ever had. Certainly we are.

香蕉视频直播淲e crossed the ocean out of our wrecked boat, and now 香蕉视频直播� we香蕉视频直播檙e all just trying not to die on the beach.香蕉视频直播�

Tourism has come roaring back from pandemic lows, but operators say the sector has yet to reach pre-COVID levels and debt remains a hefty burden for thousands of small businesses across the country.

International visitor numbers remained down from four years earlier, with tourists from the U.S. at 85 per cent of 2019 levels and those from further afield at 78 per cent, according to Crown corporation Destination Canada.

The industry brought in more than $109 billion in revenue last year, about four per cent more than in 2019 but significantly less in real terms after accounting for inflation, according to the Tourism Industry Association of Canada.

Beth Potter, who heads the association, has called on the federal government to create a new low-interest loan program and temporary foreign worker stream, both specific to the tourism industry.

香蕉视频直播淲e have not had any kind of indication that we香蕉视频直播檙e going to see these,香蕉视频直播� she noted. In fact, the government aims to reduce temporary residents香蕉视频直播� share of Canada香蕉视频直播檚 population over the next three years.

The impact won香蕉视频直播檛 be 香蕉视频直播渁s extreme香蕉视频直播� in tourism as in agriculture or food processing, she said. But it will hit ski resorts as well as tourism-dependent areas such as Northern Canada and Niagara Falls, Ont.

Travel, hospitality and recreation offerings are effectively a perishable commodity, which means it香蕉视频直播檚 especially hard to make back lost earnings.

香蕉视频直播淚f you don香蕉视频直播檛 book the hotel room tonight, you can香蕉视频直播檛 book that hotel room two times tomorrow night,香蕉视频直播� said Potter.

The sector香蕉视频直播檚 recovery continues to trail that of the broader business world. The number of active tourism-linked businesses sat slightly below pre-pandemic levels as of December, while the number of businesses overall surpassed 2019 figures, data from Destination Canada showed.

Across all sectors, two in three small- and medium-sized enterprises still held pandemic debt at the end of last year, with an average of $107,700, according to a Canadian Federation of Independent Business survey of 3,148 members. Out of 14 sectors surveyed, operators in hospitality and transportation were among the most pessimistic about the coming year. Only retail scored worse.

Ski operations and tourist hotspots such as the Okanagan Valley have had a particularly rough year.

香蕉视频直播淲e had winters that weren香蕉视频直播檛 winters for us,香蕉视频直播� said Tourism Minister Soraya Martinez Ferrada in a phone interview.

香蕉视频直播淲e were really impacted last year with climate change in terms, fire, drought, floods,香蕉视频直播� she continued. 香蕉视频直播淧eople were actually cancelling their travels to Canada because they were thinking that the whole country was on fire. Remember the smoke in New York?香蕉视频直播�

While some tourism statistics for Canada香蕉视频直播檚 four largest cities 香蕉视频直播� Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary 香蕉视频直播� are now on track to overtake 2019 numbers, farther-flung parts of the country continue to struggle.

香蕉视频直播淩egions a bit further away from those very big hubs had more difficulty to regain the momentum,香蕉视频直播� the minister said. Business travel and conventions also continue to lag, she added.

Regional transport has failed to bounce back as well, with domestic seat capacity at 84 per cent of 2019 levels as of the fourth quarter of 2023, according to Destination Canada. That can dent domestic travel and leisure markets.

香蕉视频直播淚f people want to go between Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland in the wintertime, when the ferry is not running, you香蕉视频直播檇 have to fly to Toronto,香蕉视频直播� said Potter, pointing to the deterrent.

The minister cited pledges laid out in the federal budget to support tourism. The government has vowed to provide new funding to replace Via Rail香蕉视频直播檚 aging fleet on routes outside the corridor running between Quebec City and Windsor, Ont. 香蕉视频直播� an amount has not yet been specified due to an upcoming procurement process.

Martinez Ferrada also highlighted $124 million for Atlantic ferry operations as well as investments in development opportunities in the North and for Indigenous tourism operations announced last year.

While no new sector-specific loans are on the horizon, she framed the $2.5 billion in carbon rebates slated to land in small- and medium-sized businesses香蕉视频直播� bank accounts in the coming months as a financial buoy.

Back in Vancouver, Gordon said the year looks promising, with some caveats.

香蕉视频直播淢ost people aren香蕉视频直播檛 100 per cent confident in their projections,香蕉视频直播� she said. 香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 not a straight-line recovery 香蕉视频直播� We all feel that the market is really unpredictable right now.

香蕉视频直播淧eople in our industry are pretty passionate about what they do and pretty determined. It香蕉视频直播檚 not a doom-and-gloom story,香蕉视频直播� she reflected.

香蕉视频直播淏ut it is a story of huge struggle 香蕉视频直播� and maybe some of it香蕉视频直播檚 unnecessary struggle 香蕉视频直播� and burden on a key industry that brings so much benefit to Canada and promotes our brand in the world.香蕉视频直播�

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