Locals keep campground afloat but tough winter ahead

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 4 1/2-month season, the campground relies heavily on travelers 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 will be this 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 seasonal tourist rush, are scrambling to find ways to survive until next spring.

She may have been thrown a bit of a lifeline as the federal government extended the deadline for applying for an interest-free loan through Canada Emergency Business Account. Up to $10,000 is forgivable if certain conditions are met.

A bigger issue for Carpino is that campgrounds like hers are not eligible for the small business tax rate, and so are subject to the corporate rate of 49 per cent on profits. In other words, roughly half of what she clears goes to the government putting a major crimp on already slim savings.

The tourism sector in general is seeking help. Tourism Industry Association of B.C. CEO Walt Judas said his organization has been lobbying the federal and provincial governments for an "ask" of $680 million to provide liquidity for the off season and aid in covering other costs related to the pandemic.

"It's a big ask until you consider that in British Columbia, the visitor economy provides about $1.7 billion in tax revenue to the province, $2.1 (billion) to the feds and about $700 million individual communities," Judas said.

"And when you look at it from the perspective of a $21.5-billion industry, $680 million to try to keep the businesses solvent and retain the tourism sector sounds big but it's not."

The tourism industry meets the definition of exceptional circumstances in Judas' view.

"We've always said we're the first and hardest hit and the last to recover," he said.