NDP vows to rush tourism sector aid after report depicts bleak picture
B.C.'s tourism minister says she'll move as quickly as possible to help the sector, after a government-commissioned task force called on the province for more financial aid to mitigate the damage to the tourism industry caused by COVID-19.
Melanie Mark said she'll rally cabinet colleagues like Economic Recovery Minister Ravi Kahlon to push for $50 million in immediate additional funding recommended by the task force, as well as the creation of a grant program for tourism-dependent businesses.
“That is a big call to action that Minister Kahlon and I have talked about and are going to be doing our advocacy,” she said. “We're going to try to do as much as we can, as quickly as we can.”
B.C. Premier John Horgan was more vocal in his support of the task force, which he commissioned in September to come up with ideas to help a tourism sector that has been badly battered by the social gathering and travel restrictions imposed to prevent the spread of the virus.
Horgan was responding to concerns that some tourism businesses, having already spent almost a year of financial hardship, aren't in a position to give refunds to customers who had booked trips before provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry extended travel restrictions this week until Jan. 8.
“We will be seeing the money flowing to the tourism sector, which I hope will allow them to provide refunds to people who will not be able to get the services that they paid for,” Horgan said Wednesday
The Tourism Task Force, chaired by Vancouver International Airport CEO Tamara Vrooman, quietly released its report to government Wednesday.
It had three financial requests:
■ Fifty million dollars in new aid for tourism businesses, on top of $50 million previously announced by government in September.
■ Five million dollars of the new funding earmarked toward Indigenous-run tourism businesses.
■ A $95-million tourism grant program made up of new and previous funding.
In September, the tourism sector asked for a $680-million aid package. Instead, the premier provided $50 million and hired the task force to do a review.
B.C.'s tourism sector accounts for more than $20 billion in revenue to the provincial economy and more than 160,000 jobs.
“The situation in the industry has dramatically worsened since the task force was convened in the fall,” read the report. “To ensure these businesses survive and the workforce remains connected to their jobs, there is a need for a larger emergency relief envelope.”