File photo

Sophie Gray

Local Journalism Initiative

Resorts and hotels around Osoyoos are suffering after government officials urged people not to travel to small communities over the Easter long weekend. 

The Watermark Beach resort is reporting room occupancy rates hovering around 12 per cent at the moment, a steep decline from the 70 per cent they usually see at this time of year.

Truckers and essential workers in town are the majority of their occupants. The resort said cancellation rates are at 92 per cent right now as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in a significant drop in revenue.

Sarah van der Hoeven from the Watermark Beach resort said the businesses aren’t even thinking about making money right now. 

“Making money is the last thing on our minds,” she said. “That means that staff that we run with on a year-round basis that are pillars for the hotel, we are now looking at laying off the majority of that staff.”

The Watermark is not alone. Destination Osoyoos and other local tourism businesses are severely suffering as a result of social distancing measures and the government’s advice for people to not travel. 

Many in the industry are trying their best to offer services like take-out through their restaurants, but this doesn’t really offset any costs, said van der Hoeven. The restaurant at Watermark, who offered pre-packaged Easter dinners this past holiday weekend, isn’t bringing in any revenue she said, but will stay open to “provide a service to the locals and community that are here.”

With an uncertain future ahead, van der Hoeven said the Watermark can’t plan very much for the future but is trying to remain positive. For the time being, all they can do is follow the directions the government is providing and play it by ear.

“It’s hard times for everybody to plan,” she van der Hoeven. “We’re not really going in a direction of marketing any type of business coming this way until we hear from the government sources that say that it’s safe to travel.”

The resort is one of many in town that will likely see a difficult year ahead, but van der Hoeven said she is focused on the safety of her staff and those in the community above anything else.