Covid-19 has been, and will be, terrible for tourism-related businesses in the HRM. But as the 2020 tourist season begins to take shape, there are a few small reasons for optimism.
Things are already dire for Halifax businesses that rely on tourism to turn a profit. Discover Halifax CEO Ross Jefferson recently laid out the facts for Halifax Regional Council.
At the end of last month, he said, 14 hotels employing about 27,000 people in the city were still closed. Close to 2,300 restaurants with about 20,500 employees were shuttered, and 102 major conferences or events had been cancelled.
Government and industry leaders have been talking openly about a Maritime bubble. While there’s been no official word on when that could happen, most industry leaders believe it will be soon.
“My understanding is this is something we can look forward to possibly in July. There’s certainly an appetite for making this happen,” Saran says.