About six million people flock to our region annually - drawn by concerts, festivals, events and many natural amenities - but with COVID-19 restrictions in place, the tourism industry is reeling.
Earlier this week, organizers of the 2020 Mariposa Folk Festival confirmed the event would be cancelled. The popular 'Grand Dame' of music festivals was expected to attract about 30,000 people to Tudhope Park from July 3 to 5.
Also this week, the City of Orillia extended its moratorium on any public events until at least July 5. City facility bookings and permits, both indoor and outdoor, have also been cancelled until July 5. That puts a kibosh on all local festivals and events until that date - at least.
“I think, right now, it’s really hard to predict how this is all going to play out,” said Kris Puhvel, executive director of Orillia & Lake Country Tourism. “At the moment, there is no external tourism.
"Nobody is coming to the region as per the guidelines, and that’s a good thing. I think, moving forward, we’ll have to see what steps are going to be taken to re-open society," he told OrilliaMatters.
According to Puhvel, about 14 per cent of the Orillia and Lake Country workforce depends on tourism for their employment, which includes arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation and food services.
The estimated economic impact for tourism across Simcoe County is $1 billion annually, and there are about six million annual visitors to the Orillia and Lake Country region (which includes Oro-Medonte, Rama, Severn and Ramara Townships).
“It’s difficult to plan. We know events are pretty much done for up until July. There’s just that uncertainty right now in the tourism business,” said Puhvel.
Puhvel says marketing for the area has evolved in light of COVID-19 toward pushing local to the tourists that live right here at home.
“We’ve been promoting what is open,” he said. “We’re promoting take-outs and shops that are offering curb-side (service) or are online. It’s more about making aware to the people in this region, what’s available in this region.”
He said he has heard from local hotel operators about the uncertainty of COVID has also brought uncertainty to their own industry.
“I think it’s just a big question mark right now,” said Puhvel.
Puhvel said the regional tourism agency is focusing some of its efforts right now toward creating a virtual tour of the area for people to access from their website.
“Tourism is such a big part of our economy here. There’s going to be a shift in culture (post-COVID) where tourism will have to be done in a safe way,” said Puhvel. “What do we have here in the region that people will feel most comfortable to do once we get back to a sense of normalcy? I think people will still be a bit gun-shy of big crowds and won’t want to jump right back in to that.”
“It’s one thing to tell people to come, but we also have to re-assure them. It’ll be interesting to see how it affects people’s psyche and the culture of travel,” he added.
According to the province, Celebrate Ontario funding grants – which typically are announced in May and have supported local events such as the Mariposa Folk Festival and the Coldwater Steampunk Festival – will still be flowing.
“In addition to funding events for 2020, we are also honouring commitments from Celebrate Ontario 2019 for events cancelled in March,” said Leighanne Neilson, spokesperson for the ministry of heritage, sport, tourism and culture. “These investments will help to maintain the capacity of the festivals and events sector so that Ontario is well-positioned to welcome back visitors once it is safe to do so.”
In regards to municipal grants awarded for summer festivals that have now been cancelled, City of Orillia officials have said the emergency management committee (EMC) is working with staff to determine the status of all grants awarded through the city’s grant committee, and the impact COVID-19 will, or has had, on the recipients to determine next steps.
The city also decided to defer the implementation of the Municipal Accommodation Tax from April 6 to Sept. 1 to help support the hotel and accommodation industry. City officials have said this decision will reduce anticipated gross revenue by approximately $180,000 which was to be used by Orillia & Lake Country Tourism and the City of Orillia to enhance tourism within Orillia.
“The City of Orillia understands the importance and value tourism has on the local economy,” said Mayor Steve Clarke. “The economic recovery task force, along with city staff, continue to work closely with all event organizers and tourism operators to ensure the industry is able to adapt and be ready to open once it is safe to do so.”
