Provincial tourism outlook appears pretty sunny

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/09/2022 (1467 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba’s tourism industry may bounce back faster than expected.

Tourism spending could return to 2019 levels by next year, according to an updated forecast by Tourism Economics, which Travel Manitoba commissioned.

“We’re planning for the best,” said Linda Whitfield, Travel Manitoba’s vice-president of communications.

The Crown corporation held its annual general meeting Monday. Last year, it followed forecasts of a return to pre-pandemic levels by 2024.

Locals are driving the shift, Whitfield said. Manitobans — and Canadians — have been travelling more within the keystone province since pandemic-era restrictions lifted.

Whitfield pointed to summer festivals, which have seen near-record or record attendance years.

Winnipeg Folk Festival had its second best attendance this summer — 74,000 visitors.

“Things like that are strong indicators that Manitobans in particular are anxious to get out, to travel within the province,” Whitfield said.

Travel Manitoba will continue marketing to Canadians next year. It’s also re-entering international markets like Germany and the United Kingdom, Whitfield said.

The Crown corporation is targeting $1.6 billion in visitor spending in 2024 and $2.5 billion by 2030.

Pre-pandemic, annual visitor spending hit $1.6 billion.

“Hopefully the cards don’t have any bad news in them,” Whitfield said, referencing potential future pandemic waves and restrictions.

“Until we hear further, all the business are operating at as maximum capacity as they can be, given the labour shortage,” she said.

Every segment of the industry has been impacted, Whitfield noted. Operators have cut back on hours due to a lack of workers.

Travel Manitoba won’t know how many tourism dollars the province pulled in this year until The Conference Board of Canada produces data, likely in 2023.

Hotel occupancy levels are now on par with 2019, said Colin Ferguson, Travel Manitoba’s CEO.

Winnipeg hotel visitation has surpassed rural Manitoba’s for the first time in two years, he told annual general meeting attendees.

“We’ve had a pretty busy summer, which is kind of unusual,” said William Pasco, sales manager of a Holiday Inn on Pembina Highway.

Last year, people in quarantine and natural disaster evacuees accounted for the majority of guests, Pasco said. This year, the hotel is accommodating leisure travellers.

“We haven’t seen this (many) in a long time,” Pasco said. “I guess it’s because a lot of people… (are) feeling the itch to travel.”

This summer has been “extraordinary” for the Manitoba Museum, according to CEO Dorota Blumczynska.

July and August have broken records. Nearly 80,000 people visited the museum this summer, far surpassing the 48,506 guests of 2019’s July and August, Blumczynska said.

Planetarium attendance more than doubled pre-pandemic highs: last July and August saw 16,811 visitors, compared to 2019’s 6,275.

“(It’s) a lot of pent-up demand, a lot of folks feeling ready to be out and about,” Blumczynska said.

Anecdotally, the majority of museum-goers were Manitoban, and plenty came from outside Winnipeg, she said. She credited the museum’s virtual programming for creating new fans during the pandemic.

Sales at The Forks — both food and retail — have surpassed pre-pandemic levels, according to Jenna Khan, the site’s communications specialist.

“I think people have really seen the value in supporting local businesses,” Khan said. “(We’re) excited to see The Forks come alive again.”

There’s been a big uptick in people gathering since June, she noted.

Traffic hasn’t reached 2019 levels yet, but The Forks is hoping to increase its numbers next year, Khan said.

The Forks didn’t have data on its visitors’ home bases Monday. However, there’s been an increase in people asking for maps and directions.

“That does tell us that we’re seeing people visiting here from outside of Manitoba again,” Khan said.

More direct flights to and from Winnipeg are needed, Ferguson said Monday. He listed Chicago, Minneapolis and Denver as those still in the works.

Pre-pandemic, Manitoba’s tourism industry contributed $649 million to the economy, meeting attendees heard. The sector supported 21,000 jobs directly and indirectly.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com