The Rocky Mountaineer is postponing its season by an extra month, to July 31.

President and CEO Steve Sammut says with travel restrictions in place it’s impossible to start the season in July.

Tourism Kamloops CEO Beverley Desantis says it’s not a surprise that Rocky Mountaineer has made this decision.

“It’s devastating for Rocky Mountaineer to lose a season, or part of a season. And it is devastating for the community of Kamloops to lose those visitors as well. As they support so much of our businesses and industries in Kamloops.”

In a normal year, the Rocky Mountaineer says it has an economic spinoff in Kamloops of nearly $50 million each summer.

Desantis was asked if the season could be lost for one of the biggest seasonal economic drivers in the area.

“I don’t think anybody knows the answer to that question. I think we’re all concerned about when different borders will open. Borders into our province and borders into our country. Rocky Mountaineer is an international company, so this is a very big deal to ensure that whoever is getting on their trains is healthy, and that passenger safety is at the forefront of all their decisions.”

Because of the delays to its season, the Rocky Mountaineer is giving a 110-per-cent travel credit to guests whose departures have been suspended, valid to the end of the 2022 season. The company also says guests rebooking for next year won’t say a cost increase from inflation on the rail portion of their trip.

“This global pandemic is truly unprecedented, and we continue to evaluate how it will impact our operations. We hope by offering the future travel credit, consistent rail pricing, flexibility with rebooking, and package rebooking guarantee we can make it as seamless as possible for our guests to plan their future travel,” Sammut says.