Staycation bonanza

George Hartlen is busy stocking shelves with souvenirs and planning recreational programs at the Friends of Riding Mountain gift shop and equipment rental, in anticipation of a hectic summer.

“We’ve already seen a shift happening in travel here and we expect it to continue,” Hartlen said Friday.

Manitoba travel destinations are gearing up for a busier-than-usual spring and summer season thanks to the trade war sparked by the Trump administration, which appears to be motivating Canadians to travel in their own country as opposed to heading to the U.S.

Heading into spring, Hartlen says travellers and campers are exploring Manitoba’s backyard over heading to warmer destinations they would normally choose this time of year.

He estimates Wasagaming, where his gift shop and rental shop are located, on the shores of Clear Lake, gets about 5,000 visitors on any given day during peak times in the summer.

Tourism is expected to jump this year, the shop owner said.

“Hopefully, (camp) reservations are made soon because they will fill up quickly.”

Tourists and politicians are striking back at Trump’s 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum and his repeated threats about Canada becoming the 51st state by keeping their travel dollars out of the U.S.

When polled by the Free Press, a number of Winnipeg city councillors said they have no plan to travel to the U.S. or have cancelled trips in favour of domestic travel to support the Canadian economy and send the U.S. a message.

Shawn Dobson, councillor for St. James, scrapped his road trip to the U.S. this summer and will head to Niagara Falls, Ont. instead.

Coun. Cindy Gilroy, too, is staying away from Canada’s southern neighbour out of principal.

“I was going to go to Arizona. However in doing what I can do to supporting our country, I am looking at a trip within Canada,” Gilroy (Daniel Mclntyre) said in an email.

Mayor Scott Gillingham said he wouldn’t advise city staff or councillors whether to withhold their travel dollars from the U.S., prefer to leave it to people’s own judgment.

He recently attended a mayors conference in the U.S. in which they released a joint statement calling for an end to the tariffs.

“If I’m called upon to (travel to the U.S.) I will pick and choose, but it would be for that purpose and that purpose only, to get an end to tariffs,” Gillingham said.

Lakeview Resorts, which operates hotels in Hecla and Gimli, is offering “made in Manitoba” discounts for hotel stays longer than two nights.

The hotel has had a 25 per cent increase in reservations this year from the same time in 2024 and weekdays are booking up months ahead of schedule.

“We just thought, you know, what a better time to let people know that we are Manitoba-owned,” said Carla Foster, director of sales and marketing at Lakeview Resorts.

“Stay here in Manitoba and support local and see what Manitoba has to offer, because there’s lots to see and do here.”

The hotel is busy hiring additional staff in preparation for the anticipated influx of guests. It was a lesson learned during the COVID-19 pandemic when travel was restricted to within the province and the chain was unprepared to handle the excess travellers.

Linda Whitfield, vice-president of communications at Travel Manitoba, said the pandemic trained the travel industry how to adapt to a sudden shift in consumer habits.

Whitfield expects more Canadians to travel to the province’s biggest attractions: Riding Mountain National Park, Whiteshell Provincial Park, Churchill and Winnipeg for festival season.

She said those areas are busy preparing for additional tourists.

Travel Manitoba plans to increase its advertising in Canada to entice travellers here.

“We will just continue to emphasize all the great things Manitoba has to offer,” Whitfield said.

nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca