SCALPERS TARGET ONTARIO PARKS.
1 SCALPERS
As demand for Ontario campgrounds continues to drastically increase, so do people's frustrations with scalpers who are reselling reservations at steeper prices. A number of posts on sites like Kijiji are offering outdoor enthusiasts the chance to book campsites at various provincial parks — sometimes at five times the original amount, said Kevin Callan, author of The Happy Camper.
2 HOT COMMODITY
It comes as competition to secure sites remains high. Ontario Parks saw almost a 135 per cent increase in reservations made between Jan. 1 and March 28 this year, compared to the same period in 2020. More than double the number of customers have attempted to make reservations during July and August. "Right now, people are so desperate because they want to go camping and they're not getting their sites,” Callan said. “So, out of frustration, or even people who don't know the value of a site ... many are booking through the (scalpers).” It's something that has been going on for a while, Callan said, but since the pandemic has led to more people wanting to get out in nature, more people are noticing it.
3 UNHAPPY CAMPERS
Many people are taking to social media to express their frustration, with some Twitter users providing evidence of reservations listed on Kijiji. “No wonder there's so many issues booking. Is there anything that can be done about this?” one user wrote. The post shows a three-night stay at a site with electricity in Algonquin Park at the end of July was listed for $240 on Kijiji. In comparison, booking a site at that campground through Ontario Parks for the same number of days would cost $161.03 including tax. “I have been trying for weeks to get a spot!!!” Twitter user Jessica Melro wrote in a comment.
4 NAME TRANSFERS
Melro suggested that Ontario Parks should change its policy that allows people to transfer bookings to someone else. “Shut down the name switch on the campsite. Restart the bookings! Who pays that much to sleep in dirt, ” she wrote.
5 FIXING THE PROBLEM
As summer approaches, Callan said he has faith Ontario Parks will do something to address this problem. What that “something” will be, he said he doesn't know. “But there's enough people complaining about it that if they don't do something, then I think that that's a bigger story,” he said.