This weekend marks the unofficial end of summer, and despite COVID-19 still lingering and creating the need for various protocols, the tourism industry bounced back this summer.
Kris Puhvel, the executive director of Orillia and Lake Country Tourism, says outdoor attractions, restaurants, and the accommodations sector were thriving this summer.
“There was definitely a resurgence of people looking to escape after a long winter of lockdowns, and our area really has those assets that people are looking for,” he said.
“We have outdoor recreation, we have the resorts, the culinary, and people were looking to experience that.”
Puhvel says the accommodation sector was, at times, up to 70 to 80 per cent fully booked, and sometimes sold out altogether.
“Overall, it was a very healthy season and we made up for some of that lost ground,” he said.
“I think people had more confidence with the vaccines. They knew they were coming to a safe area and that was really reassuring for people.”
Puhvel says Orillia hotels put up hotel occupancy rates in July and August that were similar to pre-pandemic levels.
“Who knows what the future will hold, but judging with what I’ve seen over the last couple of months, we are looking very healthy,” he said.
Jason Stanton, general manager of Bayview Wildwood and Cottages at Port Stanton, says the resort had its fair share of challenges this summer.
“Overall business was good, and we were very happy to be back to somewhat normal operations by mid-summer with indoor dining which was a game-changer for us,” he said.
Stanton says the resort struggled with finding staff during the summer to keep up with the high demand.
“There is a tremendous labour shortage going on right now across the entire hospitality industry and many other industries province-wide, and that’s something we’ve experienced first-hand,” he said.
“It seemed like the demand went from zero to 60 really fast, and it took us a while to get going, but once we did get going and worked our way back, business has been going smooth and it’s been fantastic.”
Stanton says Bayview Wildwood has had "record-setting moments" this summer and the demand was as high as he’s ever seen it. Occupancy levels were up eight to ten percent from pre-pandemic levels.
“There is a lot of unknowns right now about COVID restrictions going forward and if business will continue at this rate. But I’m hoping that leisure business continues throughout the remainder of the summer and into the fall as it’s been very kind to us,” he said.
The resort has increased its cleaning protocols this summer and they have sanitization stations all around the resort, which gives guests an extra sense of safety.
“I think a lot of people are vaccinated now and are feeling safer because of that. I also think that people coming to a lakeside resort such as ours know the type of environment that they are coming to, and we’ve been certified as a safe travel destination through the Tourism Association of Ontario," Stanton explained.
Stanton says its has been challenging to manage expectations.
“These people haven’t had a quality vacation for upwards of two years, so they are coming here expecting a very high level of service and a good quality of amenities and things like food and accommodation,” he said.
“If there are challenges or hurdles along the way there hasn’t been a lot of patience with our staff and management group.”
Mark Downing, owner of Fern Resort in Ramara Township, says demand was high this summer, but said it was extremely challenging when it comes to staffing.
“We only had 163 employees when we would normally have 220. We were hiring from January all the way through the summer and we were getting no responses on any postings that we had,” he explained.
To combat the staffing issue Fern Resort had to stop taking bookings and serve a smaller number of customers.
“We stopped taking booking during the first week of July. I had support staff working in the kitchen, my entire family working in the kitchen, the whole team lent a hand wherever the extra help was required,” Downing said.
On the plus side, Downing says it’s good to see a high demand of customers who are ready to vacation during the pandemic.
“There were people who were wanting the experience even though there were different levels of comfort. I think people felt safe here with the protocols that we have in place,” he said.
Downing estimates that Fern Resort was able to give customers 75 to 80 percent of the regular vacation experience.
“After being closed down for six-and-a-half months we were able to get the better part of the experience going, but it was difficult to not be able to deliver the full experience,” he said.
Because of protocols and staffing issues, Downing says sales at Fern Resort were "definitely lower" this summer compared to other years, but it was still a positive rebound year from a quiet 2020.
“People were just happy to get out, get away, and not be locked up in their house,” Downing said.
Jonathan Shapero has been bringing his family to Fern Resort for about eight years, and it’s where he chooses to close out the summer again this year.
“We like that there are activities here that suit all ages. My kids have things to do, my wife and I have things to do, and my parents have things to do too,” he said.
Shapero says he felt safe at Fern Resort during the pandemic.
“We saw that there were protocols that were in place for indoor masking, social distancing, and other measures, so we felt comfortable with that,” he said.
Shapero admits that while his family enjoyed their stay at Fern Resort, it was different.
“Obviously there are different ways that we have to participate in the activities now, but at the same time it’s been a lot of fun and we’ve really appreciated it because of the last year and a half and everything that we’ve gone through with the pandemic,” he said.
Shapero says there were times during their stay when his family forgot about the pandemic’s existence.
“Especially when you are outside doing outdoor activities ... there are moments when you aren’t even thinking about the pandemic which is refreshing,” he said.
