Is Tourism A Four Letter Word?

There is an eerie calm in the city of Victoria.

Today being Victoria Day, the grounds of the Legislature pictured above would by this time be full of various high school bands from around the Pacific Northwest performing for the better part of the day right up there on those well weathered steps that have seen the likes of many a protest over the 100 + years of their existence. Unfortunately today, they shall remain silent. Victoria and it's namesake Victoria Day parade all but cancelled long ago. Really a Victoria tradition and the largest such parade in the country with typically upwards of 100 various bands. They come from the likes of Alberta and BC of course, but also Washington State, Oregon, and all the way down to Southern California for the weekend here.

By now, given my proximity to the Legislature grounds (I live directly behind them) I would be sick of all the racket as they usually arrive in the city by Friday afternoon and start practicing on the grounds and in and around the various parking lots located here from that same time onward. As much as I love them having been in a school band myself for a few years, it does become monotonous after a couple of days. I can't simply just shut my door and un-hear them, no, I can see them from my balcony, I am that close. Oddly I do not remember hearing anything about this years parade being cancelled? It was just a given I guess. Interestingly though there was a Victoria Day parade Celebration on the local TV station showing previous parade memories, which did surprise me.

The tourism dollars this brings to the city is huge. Those same Legislature grounds, from about late March through usually October are generally full of tourists. all day every day. All spending those hard earned dollars right here in this little city. Alas this year it is not to be. The tourist season never had the chance to even get off the ground this year. Over before it even started. This virus has seen to that.

Even though starting tomorrow the city has been given the green light to start with it's re-opening plans, tourism this year will not factor into that. Sad really for a city that has become so coexistent in many ways on those tourists and those dollars.

As large of an event for the city as the parade is, much larger are- sorry, were to come in the near future. Canada Day, BC Day, Jazzfest, Ska and Reggae Festival, Symphony Splash, Pride Week, The Buskers Festival, The Downtown Summer Market, The Classic Wooden Boat Festival, The Dragon Boat Festival...the list is endless, it really is. All cancelled. This is not even to mention all of the summer music festivals that go on in and around the inner harbour, again literally steps from my front door.

I cannot say I will miss having to fight my way through the throngs of people to get home from work every night. But the thing is it kind of adds a very unique atmosphere to the place I call home. One grows used to the fact that one lives in such a culturally diverse place in the world. I haven't even mentioned all of the cultural festivals that happen in the city every year either. Chinese New Year Celebrations in North America's oldest Chinatown, Greek fest, Ukrainian days, Indigenous Cultural Festival, and again the list is as long as your arm. Hell I can't even remember them all, it seems there are new ones every year. Some that only happen every couple of years such as NorthWest Deuce Days. Luckily that was last year so it wasn't cancelled- here anyway, it was for another host city on the Pacific Rim.

Yesterdays release of what will and will not be allowed to re-open, and especially the new restrictions to go along with that have hit the tourism industry like a crowbar to the back of the head. Restaurants especially. Having had to close for eight plus weeks has been hard enough, those that plan on re-opening for table service have been slapped with some of the most ridiculous restrictions I fear that many will opt to continue with take out and delivery only. It simply is too expensive. Converting restaurants to meet these new standards is going to cost thousands of dollars per establishment minimum on top of those losses already sustained from having to initially close. Also taking into consideration the fact labour costs will triple once they open their doors to table service.

For many re-opening is simply not viable right now. Not to mention the fact that finding service staff to work under these new conditions is going to be next to impossible. Who's going to tip well under these conditions? Where exceptional service has become a non-viable option? No condiments on tables, single use menus, pouring your own beverages, having the server being 6 feet away from you at all times, it's just ridiculous for the industry and cannot feasibly work well for those serving or dining. The idea alone of 6 foot spacing between kitchen staff members is simply ludicrous, I wasn't even going to mention the fact about plexiglass separating kitchen staff from one another simply because even the notion, the very idea is absolutely asinine.

Personally this is not why I go out to dinner, to be treated like I have the plague. (sorry but the pun seemed appropriate) It would seem a return to any sense of normalcy is not in our immediate future in the sense of dining out anyway. At least I can finally get a haircut, I hope? I'm hoping the Thrifty Foods that was a 24 hr grocery store previously, will return to that soon, so I don't have to worry about the reactions of others when I go shopping and can finally spend the time to buy the things I want, not the first thing I see because others are giving me the 'stink-eye'. I got very used to doing my grocery run at 5 am or earlier, it's not like I'm not up at that time everyday anyway.

I have to wonder what the long-term effects of the loss of the entire year of tourism will be on this city. I'm in hospitality yet that is only a part of the industry. What about the entire retail trade that specifically runs for the tourism trade, the whale-watching companies, the marine adventure companies, the straight out tourist shops where one can purchase any kind of ridiculous crap to commemorate your stay in this beautiful city. There are so many stores that this is the reason they exist.

The catering company that is my full time job, I don't expect to be able to go back to that till next year in any tangible capacity. Or until a vaccine comes our way, whichever is sooner. Even then people will be leery to book large events for fear of both the virus being spread, or that anyone will indeed show up because of that same fear.

I won't even get started about how many restaurants are not going to able to keep the doors open the longer this continues. Some have already shuttered their windows from losses so great already incurred. I would not wish restaurant ownership on anyone right now.

I guess I do indeed need to be thankful things did not get any worse here in BC and we are now able to re-open slowly. My fear for some other parts of the country is they will re-open too quickly and in turn have another massive spread. Although even our large numbers were nothing compared to south of the border and that numbskull thinking he knew better than the professionals. But my friends that is entirely another post in and of itself!!

Be Safe. Be kind to one another. But most of all,

Stop it with the 'Stink-Eye.'