Why the Jasper wildfire shows that being in Canada’s tourism industry is a ‘gamble’

Cool weather and rain gave the town of Jasper, Alberta hope that the wildfire there could soon be contained and that recovery of the iconic tourist spot could begin.

But now that Canada is once again dealing with more wildfires than usual, many people working in the tourism industry are wondering if it’s worth the effort.

“It’s a real gamble being in the tourism industry right now,” says Mandy Nordahn, owner of Mearas Vista Inn in Tofino, B.C.

Nordahn said the 2023 wildfire season was unlike any other, and government data confirms her view.

With approximately 18.5 million hectares of Canadian land burned, 2023 was the worst wildfire season on record, surpassing the previous record of 7.6 million hectares scorched in 1989.

Tofino, a major tourist destination in British Columbia, was also affected by the fires on Vancouver Island last month, but was not directly affected.

“Nobody came,” Nordahn said. “All our bookings in June were canceled.”

Nordahn thought the worst was over when she heard news of the devastation in Jasper once again sending terror into the hearts of potential visitors.

“I’ve had people call me and say they can’t come. It hurts business, but you can’t really blame people,” she said.

The full extent of the damage in Jasper will not be known for some time, but officials estimate that somewhere between 30 and 50 percent of all buildings in the city were destroyed by the fire.

These can be hotels, lodges, inns, restaurants and cafes that have been there for years.

Beth Potter, CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada, said climate change and the increasing frequency of extreme weather events are now being factored into business operations.

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“As an industry, we have spent a lot of time and effort over the past few years putting together contingency plans so we can be there to ensure visitors feel safe,” she told Global News.

“That is now part of our standard business operations.”

And the stakes are high. According to the Tourism Industry Association of Canada, the tourism industry will bring in $113 billion in 2023 and support one in 10 jobs in Canada.

“We are all over the country, in every constituency,” Potter said.

Wildfires already cost Canadians hundreds of millions of dollars each year. Some of the costliest weather events in Canadian history have been wildfires. According to the Insurance Bureau of Canada, the Okanagan and Shuswap fires that raged in British Columbia from August to September last year caused $720 million in damage.

The wildfires in Tantallon, NS, cost more than $165 million last year.

“The costs of these events are enormous and will have a major impact on everything from the cost of rebuilding to the cost of insuring these businesses in light of the extreme events that are happening,” Potter said.

However, she added that in addition to the costs of such weather events, the industry also takes a hit as news of extreme events makes headlines around the world. Such headlines, she said, can have a domino effect that extends beyond the affected areas.

“They (international tourists) don’t understand that if a fire breaks out in one part of our country, the rest of our country is still open for business,” she said.

“We still have some work to do to make sure the world knows that Canada is still a destination for their summer vacations and business events and business travel in the summer months this year.”

It’s not just wildfires, a warming climate means Canada’s winter sports industry is facing an uncertain future. A report from June of last year predicted that ski resorts in Canada would increasingly rely on machine-made snow.

“The results show an increase in the need for snowmaking (the depth of machine-made snow) from baseline levels in all regional markets and under all climate change scenarios for the 2050s,” the report said.

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Jasper wildfire: Rain and cooler weather limit spread of flames in national park

According to Potter, the warmer weather has forced the industry to diversify.

“What it allows the industry to do is look at our product offering, our experience offering, look at the seasonality of our industry over the course of a year and do things differently,” she said.

This could mean capitalizing on Canada’s geographic diversity and expanding tourism opportunities outside of particularly vulnerable regions. But it could also mean diversifying the products or services the industry offers.

“We can look at our winter product a little bit differently. We can attract visitors at different times of the year and spread tourism over more months of the year,” she said.

Nordahn in Tofino hopes that tourist attractions like her town will become more resilient.

“You want people to enjoy their vacation and not have to worry about getting stranded somewhere,” she said.

This is a conversation that Potter believes needs to be had at all levels of government. And while there are things governments can do to help, there are also steps the industry can take.

“We can make changes. We can adapt,” she said.

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