Will tourists travel to Manitoba this summer? Business owners worried but hopeful

Will the pain at the pump stop tourists from travelling this Summer and should Manitoba communities, that rely on tourism, be worried? Alex Karpa reports.

By Alex Karpa

With record gas prices and rising inflation, some business owners in Manitoba communities are worried tourists may think twice about travelling this summer.

The last two years have been hard on many people, especially business owners.

DJ Seales, the owner of Barrier Bay Resort in the Whiteshell, is excited to welcome guests this summer. But he says there are financial challenges to overcome.

“For business owners, we are kind of stuck because it’s costing more to get the product, and if we pass that off to the customer, they get upset because they are saying ‘we just came out of this, we don’t have money either.’ The business owners are kind of stuck in the middle of how to manage their customer service versus staying alive,” said Seales.

“It’s making it more and more difficult.”


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Businesses in Manitoba’s summer-friendly Interlake region are hoping for a rebound this year.

The owners of Aaron’s on the Lake in Winnipeg Beach lost all their bookings when the pandemic hit. They have recovered since but are hoping the current gas prices don’t deter people from travelling.

“We will see how things go and certainly it may affect people from wanting to drive from other provinces here but again we have our faith in locals,” said owner Eleanor McMahon.

McMahon says their bed and breakfast is almost fully booked for the summer, but the cost of doing business continues to escalate.

“The prices of everything, inflation, is all concerning,” said McMahon. “It’s affecting small businesses in all areas, especially gas is one part of it. Even our trips going for groceries, definitely the prices are concerning in everything.”

In Clear Lake, Jess Chubak from Lakehouse Properties is optimistic Manitobans will hit the highway.

“Probably see it as a positive,” said Chubak, the hotel operations manager. “Nobody can really afford to fly anywhere anymore and let’s face it, the last two years will change the way we travel. I think we are going to see a lot more road-trippers and a lot more keeping things local.”

Linda Whitfield from Travel Manitoba agrees. She is cautiously optimistic this summer Manitobans will tour their own backyard.

“You don’t have to drive across Canada, you can certainly drive through the province and there is lots to see and do,” she said.

Seales says it’s important for Manitobans to support local whenever possible.

“Everybody had their struggles and for us to get out of this, we all need to support each other,” he said.

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