The CEO of Tourism Kamloops says it was a pretty average August on the tourism front in the Tournament Capital.

Speaking on the NL Morning News, Bev DeSantis says overall the summer has been discouraging, but it was not unexpected because of COVID-19.

“We expected about a 75 per cent decrease in visitation,” she said. “We saw some bumps you know on long weekends but for the most part, we got exactly what we thought – a very slow and dismal summer tourism season.”

DeSantis says most of the tourists in Kamloops this year have been from the Lower Mainland, as well as from Alberta. However, she says they don’t spend near as much money as international visitors do

“They don’t tend to stay as long. They don’t tend to spend as much on souvenirs and retail and so when you have a slowdown in tourism, it has this whole ripple effect right from accommodations, restaurants, hospitality to retail and transportation,” added DeSantis.

The province is working on a $1.8 billion COVID-19 stimulus package, and DeSantis says the tourism industry is hoping to see $680-million of that money to ensure that businesses in the industry continue to thrive and that there is an industry left when the pandemic is over.