Locals keeping tour operators afloat

181667.1.pdf 181667.1 INDUSTRY & TRADES Run of Paper 2 x 9.5 Babine Truck & Equipment Ltd

The Salmon Valley Campground is seen in a handout photo. Support PG handout photo

Locals keeping tourism operators afloat

Mark Nielsen Thank you, staycationers. With the COVID-19 pandemic exacting a serious blow to the viability of her operation, Salmon Valley Campground owner Bobbi Carpino doubts she would still be in business if not for the support of people living in Prince George and area. Aided by promotions through the Support PG website, Carpino said local residents have been filling up the campground on weekends - to the extent that they can given the measures put in place in the name of physical distancing. “If it wasn’t for them I don’t know that we’d be able to open our gates next year,” she said. Weekdays have been another matter. During the short four-and-a-halfmonth season, the campground relies heavily on travellers plying the route to Alaska and their numbers have plummeted. What’s more, campgrounds were forced to wait until June 1 to reopen, meaning they missed the May long weekend rush. And in the case of Salmon Valley Campground, capacity was limited to 30 of the 43 sites and the store and cafe were closed down. As of late August, revenue was down about 35 per cent and Carpino predicted it will be closer to 45 per cent by the time it’s closed down. Its last day of welcoming guests was this past Sunday, two weeks sooner than usual due to the lack of traffic heading back from the far north. In all, the short season was further shortened by about a month. “At least we were able to salvage a part of our season,” said Carpino, who will have finished her third season of running the campground. Wildfires, then heavy rain marked the first two seasons. “We’ve been competing with Mother Nature and now we’re competing with a pandemic,” she said. Now Carpino, like the operators of many businesses that rely on the