Great start to tourism season in Okanagan, but high gas prices may result in less spending
“Last summer, we had restrictions of six people per tasting room,” Pallos said. “This year, we’re seeing bigger and bigger reservations or we’re seeing groups of 12 and 14 coming in.”Story continues below advertisement“Without the face masks and without sanitizing and all that sort of stuff, just getting back to normal operation.”And while the elimination of restrictions may bring in more tourists, the high price of gas may impact how much they spend here.
“We don’t foresee the gas prices having a direct effect on our overall tourism number. We do about 2.2 million visitors a year,” Ballantyne said. “What we are worried about is once they get here, are they going to have enough leftover money to spend on our retailers, out in restaurants? Maybe have that extra day in the hotel.”
In addition to high gas prices, the labour shortage is also a cause for concern, as there aren’t enough workers to serve all the tourists expected in the Okanagan this summer season.According to the B.C. Restaurant Association, the industry is short about 30,000 employees.Tourism impact of hosting World Cup Games – Apr 15, 2022
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