British Columbia’s government is offering up to $1-million grants to help “anchor” beloved tourist attractions and tour bus operators survive the pandemic and ramp up operations when it’s safe to do so.
Premier John Horgan and Tourism Minister Melanie Mark said they believe the $50-million “BC Major Anchor Attractions Program” is enough to prevent any of those not-for-profits and businesses on the edge from going under.
Few sectors have been hit as hard by COVID-19 as tourism, Horgan said during a news conference, adding “Many of our major tourism attractions we all know and love are struggling and we need to make sure we’re there for them.”
“The effects, of course, are far-reaching not just on those anchor attractions but on the many communities that depend on tourism landmarks to have people coming through their community to boost their local economy and bring visitors to town.”
Urban attractions that receive 75,000 visitors or more each year are eligible for the maximum amount, while rural attractions with 15,000 or more visitors and tourism bus companies with 30,000 or more passengers a year may receive up to $500,000.
The funding will cover expenses like payroll, rent and utility costs related to restarting operations in preparation for gradual reopening in alignment with provincial health orders.
Horgan said anchor attractions have ripple effects for the economy as visitors stay in hotels, eat at restaurants and shop in the area, while also offering employment opportunities, especially for youth.
The application window will be open until June 7, with funds provided in July.
Eligible attractions include the Museum of Anthropology, Butchart Gardens, Capilano Suspension Bridge, Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) and Science World, Mark gave as examples.
However, the funding doesn’t meet the $8 million the PNE has said it needs to stay afloat.
The attraction employs 4,300 people and is the largest employer of youth in BC, the PNE said in a statement May 5 when it announced it would have to remain closed for a second season due to COVID-19 restrictions.
It said last month that with forecasted losses of $15 million, it would need $8 million in emergency grants from the province to survive.
Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart said in a statement he was disappointed that the BC funding announcement meant the city-owned operation will still be left critically short.
Unlike other major attractions, the PNE has not been guaranteed any COVID-19 funding to date. It should receive the same level of support from senior levels of government as other fairs across Canada, Stewart said, who added that he would work with PNE leadership on next steps.
Walt Judas, CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of BC, said the funding announcement will go a long way for many attractions, particularly the not-for-profits, but others will need more support to recover.
“For some of the larger attractions, no question, this is some welcome relief, but their fixed-cost expenses as you can appreciate are extremely high,” he said, adding they won’t see that revenue flow return without significant volumes of visitors.
The association estimates it would take “iconic businesses,” a category including for-profit anchor attractions, hotels and resorts, about $150 million to $300 million to recover.
There are other forms of relief that could be immediately helpful depending on the business. Tenure relief or water lease relief could go a long way for adventure operators, for example, Judas said.