The state of Vancouver’s tourism industry

Good morning,

Wow. I’m overwhelmed at the number of people who joined as members this week. A big thank you to each of you who’ve become an Insider member.

I’ve already got some ideas for the first edition of our members-only newsletter, including a deep dive into how one country solved their homelessness problem. Plus I’ve got at least five hidden gem restaurants — and one semi-secret food mall — I visited this weekend that I plan to share, including what to order.

In today’s newsletter, we’ve got:

• 🔥 A update on the fire situation

• 💰 The state of the tourism industry

• 📅 Some events this week

Let’s get to it!

— Geoff Sharpe, Vancity Lookout newsletter writer

If you find this newsletter valuable, please consider forwarding it to your friends. New to the Lookout? Sign-up for free.

WEATHER

Monday: 24 🌡️ 13 | ☀️

Tuesday: 22 🌡️ 13 | 🌤️

Wednesday: 21 🌡️ 13 | 🌧️

WEEKLY LOOKOUT

Emergency: The province is currently in a state of emergency as a result of the fires, allowing the province to use extraordinary measures. They’ve banned all tourism travel, including camping and hotels, to the affected areas so that those who’ve evacuated have places to stay.

ENVIRONMENT

Vancouver’s air quality plummeted over the weekend

What happened: Vancouver was under an air quality advisory this weekend as fires across the province blew smoke into the Lower Mainland, according to CTV.

Sunday was especially bad with the PM2.5 concentration — fine particles that are 2.5 microns or smaller and are dangerous to breathe — that was 7.4 times greater than what the World Health Organization recommends to breathe. If you spent any time outside on Sunday, you likely experienced it. At one point Vancouver had the ninth worst air quality in the world according to Richmond News.

• The main culprit is what you’d expect, the smoke from the fires in the Okanagan. This is abnormal, usually the wind doesn’t bring smoke from that area of the province to the city.

The Heavy Urban Search and Rescue (HUSAR) Team Canada Task Force 1 based out of Vancouver has been dispatched to help with the fires in West Kelowna.

Good news: As I wrote this newsletter, experts say that the smoke is likely to clear today because of wind flow changes, according to the Vancouver Sun.

• View from above: You can see the extent of the smoke coverage in this video from the International Space Station, from Saturday at 11 am.

Zoom out: Here’s a quick synopsis of the fire situation in B.C. as of Sunday morning:

• Wildfires in Kelowna continue to threaten homes, but they did not grow overnight. Firefighters have arrived from across the province to help. [Castanet]

• Residents were told they could return to homes in Keremos, but the fire has burned 37,000 hectares. [Global]

• Sorrento was forced to evacuate Saturday afternoon. [CTV]

• Two fires have grown to encompass 395 and 107 hectares in Strathcona Provincial Park on Vancouver Island, with officials monitoring the situation. [Nanaimo Bulletin]

The New York Times has a photo gallery showcasing the extent of the fires in Kelowna. You can also see some photos from photojournalist Ben Nelms.

In other news: Residents who had to evacuate from Yellowknife arrived at the Vancouver airport on Friday, all of whom had to pay for their own flight here, according to CTV.

VANCOUVER NUMBERS

🔥 35,000: The number of people in B.C. who’ve had to evacuate due to wildfires this week. [Business in Vancouver]

🐎 4: The number of racehorses that have died in three weeks at the Hastings Racecourse. A group of animal activists protested the deaths at the racecourse on Friday. [Daily Hive]

ECONOMY

The state of tourism in B.C. and Vancouver

As the summer gets closer to ending, we thought it worthwhile to look at the state of the tourism industry in Vancouver and B.C., and what it could mean in the future.

The good: While we won’t know tourism numbers until the summer is done, B.C. employment from the tourism sector is at 362,000 in July, which is the most since August 2018 which was 368,000 according to Business in Vancouver. That’s up by just over 2,000 since July 2019. The sectors with the biggest improvements were accommodation and recreation.

The bad: Fire season will likely have a serious affect on tourism in the interior. In 2021, hotel stays dropped 23 percent from the previous month as the risk of fires and smoke grew, according to the Globe and Mail. While the impact on tourism is the least of the concerns for residents of the interior, the impact of fires is likely to be far worse this year for those tourism-dependent communities.

The ugly: Chinese tourists recently were the second-largest visitor group in B.C. But the country’s decision to leave Canada off the list of approved group tours — 78 made the list — could be a major problem for B.C, according to Global. Chinese tourists pump $2 billion annually into the tourism economy.

Vancouver faces two specific problems as tourism continues to rebound:

Hotel downtrend: If your friends have ever visited in the summer, you’ve likely heard them complain about hotel prices. The city faces a massive hotel shortage, exacerbated by the reduction in hotel rooms that had been sold and switched to housing, according to the Vancouver Sun. The number of hotel rooms has dropped by 12.8 percent in the last 10 years, down to 13,290. This will affect businesses as the city cannot absorb more visitors.

• The average cost is $234 per day, though a glance at hotel listings in the summer show prices are likely at least double that.

Worker woes: I know many of you say I talk about housing too much, but this issue illustrates how it’s all interconnected. According to Business in Vancouver, tourism is suffering because the hospitality and tourism workforce cannot afford to work at those jobs and live nearby. One example is hotels booking out fewer rooms because they don’t have the staff to properly service them.

What’s next: With major events on the horizon in Vancouver, including the World Cup, and a potential crackdown on Airbnbs from the province and the city, the problems facing the tourism industry are unlikely to improve anytime soon. Chances are visiting family members will demand to stay at your place and not at a hotel!

NEW JOBS

Find your new dream job in Vancouver:

1. Managing director at Mosaic Homes

2. Senior advisor, municipal relations (one-year term) at Port of Vancouver

3. Senior director, head of strategy at Cossette

4. Account executive at Xero

5. Director of development services at BC Public Service

Local jobs are selected by the Lookout team and are not paid ads, unless specifically noted.

HISTORY

Thanks to Reddit user count3d for sharing this shot of Vancouver in 1981. It’s incredible to see the evolution of False Creek.

THE AGENDA

⚖️ A lawyer has shared a story about how a few of their B.C. clients requested to stay in jail for fear of leaving and returning to the street since they cannot find drug treatment or housing. [Vancouver is Awesome]

🧒 The daycare owner near Douglas Park, who was denied an expansion of the number of childcare spaces because of angry neighbours is speaking out, saying locals who complained to the city never once reached out to her. [Global News]

⛴️ Despite early challenges, Hullo Ferry is planning to expand, by adding four additional ferries and service between Vancouver and Victoria. Given the problems with BC Ferries, the company may have an opportunity to succeed. [Daily Hive]

❌ Meanwhile over at BC Ferries, the Coastal Renaissance is undergoing repairs to fix a motor problem, which caused numerous cancellations and massive wait times. The company said they don’t know when the ferry will be fixed. [CityNews]

🔒 The city is trying to shut down the last remaining hookah lounges, even though the businesses do not actually use tobacco products. Previously when they tried to shut him down, one owner went on a hunger strike for 19 days in 2015. Hookahs are a big part of Middle Eastern culture. [Business in Vancouver]

SPORTS

⚾ The Vancouver Canadians lost 9-1 on Friday, won 6-2 on Saturday and won 8-1 on Sunday. The team is 71-42 for the season.

⚽ The Whitecaps goalkeeper Thomas Hasal has moved onto the injury list and will not play the rest of the season. It’s related to patellar tendinitis, and the decision means he can focus on recovery. [Yahoo Sports]

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• It’s fair time! The PNE officially opened on Saturday, with a list of big performers, the agricultural fair, food and a jousting tournament. [Global]

• Can’t believe I’m typing this, but the seawall is for walking, not driving… [Reddit]

• And speaking of cars doing weird things, this is the most damaged I’ve ever seen an Evo. [Reddit]

If you viewed the sky on Sunday, this is likely what you saw, an eery climate change-induced photo of the sky.

GAME TIME

Congrats to everyone who guessed Friday’s Wordle. The answer was DAYCARE.

Can you guess today’s Vancouver Wordle? Play it here.