Residents of Waterloo region can expect to see visitors from other parts of the province filling up patios, taking in outdoor concerts and visiting its museums soon, says the executive director of the Waterloo Region Tourism and Marketing Corporation.
During a meeting of all the region’s municipal councils Thursday, Minto Schneider talked about an imminent marketing push to promote the region's attributes as it jolts back to life after 15 months of pandemic lockdowns.
But because major festivals take years of planning and booking, Schneider said building capacity back to 2019 levels isn’t likely going to happen for the local tourism sector until 2024.
Tourism was the hardest hit and will be the last to recover Schneider said in highlighting the industry’s importance in terms of spurring economic growth.
She emphasized the need for continued municipal support in the form of tax deferrals, and licensing and permit fee deferrals.
“Tourism is economic development’s first date. Nobody ever chooses to move a business, or move their family or move themselves to a job or a community until they’ve visited as a tourist first,” Schneider said. “So having the tourism industry strong and vibrant in our community is critically important to the economic development of Waterloo Region.”
Schneider said her team is “poised to hit the start button” on marketing to other parts of the province as soon as reopening allows it.
Waterloo Region will be part of a campaign launching next week by Destination Ontario to promote travel itineraries.
Explore Waterloo Region is also involved in various marketing partnerships with the region's newest airline, Flair, and as well as one that promotes the area as a cycling destination.
Ontario by Bike has worked with the region’s tourism marketing team to identify 45 local businesses as certified bike friendly. The website is promoting different local itineraries and working with FedDev Ontario in making sure routes are clearly signed.
Road trips, she said, are expected to surge in the coming months with pent up demand to travel to visit family and friends.
Local indoor dining, museum and sports facilities, theatres and other attractions could be back up by the end of July, Schneider said.
Kitchener Coun. Debbie Chapman asked about how the region should deal with a surge in interest in Airbnb rentals as a result of the pandemic.
“We skate a thin line in working with hotels and Airbnb, but they’re not going away so I think it’s important we strengthen our ties in working with them,” Schneider said.
She added the region’s tourism marketing agency is happy to be working with Airbnb as they promote local tourism opportunities that encourage visitors to stay in the region.
One of the biggest challenges will be convincing people that it’s safe to go out, she said.
Before the pandemic, Waterloo region was known as a sports tourism destination, but sporting events and conferences came "to a screeching halt over the last 15 months," Schneider said.
"If we want to have a vibrant community, we need to offer as many options as possible."
“We have to think about creating small scale events to create physical distancing,” she said, referring to a number of initiatives already underway including the City of Cambridge’s outdoor summer concert series planned for Forbes Park in Hespeler and Churchill Park in Galt.
In some areas of the province, outdoor music will return as early as this weekend, she said.
As museums and theatres move to reopening, staff at Explore Waterloo Region is processing 83 applications for the second round of funding available through Waterloo Region’s Tourism Adaptation and Recovery Program (TARP).
The agency is in charge of administering the fund, which provides up to $5,000 to help offset the cost of implementing health and safety protocols, renovations and equipment that ensures physical distancing measures.
Steven Karcher, executive director of Drayton Entertainment, which hasn’t been able to operate since the start of the pandemic, wrote to thank the tourism marketing committee for its support of live theatres with Phase 2 of the TARP program.
“It is still a long road ahead, but we will definitely have this project completed by early fall in anticipation of welcoming back audiences,” Karcher wrote.
Regional Chair Karen Redman said all municipal leaders recognize the tourism and hospitality industry experienced some of the “most disappointing and egregious downturns during this pandemic.”
It was one of the driving reasons the region partnered with Carizon in offering a six-month program of mental health supports for restaurant industry workers last month.
The third lockdown hit local restaurants particularly hard, Schneider said.
Even though residents have been very good about supporting local eateries, it’s not enough. "We need visitors to come back," she said.
The challenge for restaurants now is staffing, since many in the sector sought other employment during the last lockdown, Schneider added.
“We need to get back to work and we need to make sure that businesses survive so that people can return to the jobs that they love.”
