Ontario ban clamps down on resale of hot-ticket campsite bookings

The province is cracking down on Ontario Parks campsite scalpers as high demand for camping has spawned underground resales of reservations for profit.

As of Saturday, reselling an Ontario Parks campsite booking for profit is banned, and anyone found trying to sell a reservation will have their booking cancelled and penalty fees applied.

“We don't condone reselling Ontario Parks reservations for a profit and we take concerns raised by our visitors very seriously,” Chelsea Dolan, a spokesperson for MPP Jeff Yurek, minister of the environment, conservation and parks, said by email. “We know that there are instances where individuals are attempting to sell reservations . . . to make a profit.”

Though overnight camping at Ontario Parks and on Crown land is closed amid the provincewide stay-at-home order, parks have seen record-breaking demand for campsites this year.

Bookings in the first three months of the year were up 135 per cent from the same period last year.

Pinery Provincial Park, near Grand Bend on Lake Huron, is considered one of Ontario's five most popular parks, with reservations snapped up quickly when they become available.

“With more than double the number of customers attempting to make reservations arriving during the months of July and August compared to last year, it is highly competitive,” said Ontario Parks' Megan Birrell. “In many instances, there can be hundreds of customers vying for the same site for the same arrival date.”

With Ontarians facing pandemic-limited travel options again this summer, red-hot demand triggered a surge in online reselling of campsite reservations on social media and websites such as Kijiji, along with instances of bots being used to quickly snag bookings.

“If Ontario Parks becomes aware that anyone has attempted to sell a reservation for profit, for example, if they have listed a reservation on social media or buy-and-sell websites for resale for profit, the reservation may be cancelled and all applicable penalty fees will apply,” Dolan said.

“We continue to monitor feedback from our visitors to ensure a fair and transparent reservation system is provided for everyone.”

Ontario Parks staff will be monitoring online reselling posts. The public also can report ads scalping campsite bookings.

With the recent halt on overnight camping limiting the number of coveted bookings even more, Ontario Parks aims to increase capacity later in the season, Dolan said.

“Ontario Parks is committed to ensuring that as many Ontarians as possible can enjoy the benefits of provincial parks and green spaces,” she said.

The province hasn't said when overnight camping might resume. Day use of provincial parks is still permitted.