Northern tourism can survive return of restrictions

Latest lockdown by the province comes as no surprise to tourism officials in the Timmins area. ( CTV Northern Ontario - Sergio Arangio )

Timmins -

The province's return of some Covid-19 restrictions comes as no surprise to tourism officials in the Timmins area.

The province's return of some Covid-19 restrictions was not a surprise for Tourism Timmins sports tourism coordinator, Lacey Rigg.

She believes from previous experience, local tourism will be able to bounce back.

Rigg said judging from previous lockdowns, tourism businesses are usually quick to recover when things reopen.

"At first, it starts off a little slow, I think people are kind of tip-toeing and wondering what's open. And then, it kind of starts to do a boom again," she said.

Rigg said her organization is still marketing outdoor winter activities like snowmobiling, skiing and snowshoeing.

She advises people that do choose to travel to check what's open and to follow public health measures.

For businesses that have had to close or pivot to online-only operations, Rigg suggests they reach out to local tourism groups to get access to funding that could help keep them afloat.

The Ontario government is also offering a 20 per cent 'Stay-cation' tax credit to families who spend up to $2,000 on accommodations within the province, and to individuals who spend up to $1,000.

That tax credit is available until the end of the year and Rigg expects that to drive some extra tourism traffic.

"We are very lucky and very grateful in our region that we are so blessed with winter sports," Rigg said.

"Those are all open and I think we will see those people coming back."