HOSPITALITY ‘ON A ROLL’ PRE-COVID

The hospitality sector in Prince George was “on a roll” prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic just over a year ago, according to Tourism Prince George chairperson Elke Hierl-Steinbauer.

Between 2015 and 2021, the city saw the inventory of hotel rooms grow from approximately 1,900 to roughly 2,200

– a nearly 16 per cent increase in hotel capacity, she said in an email.

Hierl-Steinbauer, who also serves as secretary-treasurer for the Prince George Accommodations Association and has managed hotels for more than 20 years, said a strategy to expand hotel capacity developed ahead of the 2015 Canada Winter Games has paid off.

Tourism Prince George, the City of Prince George, the Downtown Business Improvement Association and the Prince George Chamber of Commerce worked together to develop the hosting strategy. Prince George is now able to better compete with other cities like Kelowna, Kamloops, Langley, Nanaimo and even Vancouver to host events, she said.

“(Last year) was originally expected to be a fantastic year with... the city hosting the Women’s World Curling Championships, several other big sports events on the books, as well as a number of city-wide conferences, tour groups, the Route 16 project being very successful, weddings, meetings, conferences,” Hierl-Steinbauer said.

“The year looked great! And then pouf, here comes COVID. “

The hospitality industry has been one of the hardest-hit by the pandemic, which directly impacts jobs in the city, she said.

Prior to 2020, hotels employed roughly 1,500 people in the city, with the broader hospitality sector employing roughly 2,700 others, Hierl-Steinbauer said.

City manager of economic development Melissa Barcellos said the city’s strategic location and economic fundamentals have driven the growth in the accommodation sector. An estimated $227 billion in major capital projects – both public and private – are underway or planned in northern and central B.C., Barcellos said in an email.

In an email to The Citizen, Tourism Prince George CEO Tracey McBride said she is working on a strategy to help the city’s hotel and tourism sector recover in a post-pandemic world.

“As for where things are heading for post-COVID in terms of hotel growth is uncertain at this point,” McBride said. “We are currently conducting a report on recommendations on all those sectors based on current research, stakeholder input, and expertise from a consultant we have hired to be completed this summer. We will share that with our stakeholders when complete in June.”