Life almost back to normal in Yukon, but tourism sector needs the world to catch up
Low COVID-19 case numbers and a high vaccination rate are starting to make life feel normal again in Dawson City, Yukon. But for locals who work in the city s tourism industry, it s vital that the rest of the world can visit again soon.
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Posted: Apr 15, 2021 2:18 PM ET | Last Updated: April 15
Lana Welchman recently attended a concert, featuring the band Jared Klok, in Dawson City, Yukon. (Annie Kierans/CBC)
The Yukon government is under pressure from the tourism industry to clarify what the upcoming season holds as operators struggle to keep their businesses open.
A letter to Jeanie McLean, the minister of Tourism and Culture, says “the Tourism Industry Association of the Yukon (TIA Yukon) is pressing for an ‘Active and Alert State of Readiness’ to begin a soft opening at the earliest opportunity.
“We want our leaders to “skate to where the puck is going, not where it currently is,” association chair Neil Hartling writes.
In the letter, he pointedly asks McLean if the government is favouring a status quo that could see restrictions in place for years to come, or if it believes there’s a chance of tourism operators being able to do some business in 2021.
Yukon tourism businesses look ahead with hope and uncertainty
2020 was a terrible year for the tourism industry and in Yukon, things are not necessarily expected to turn around quickly even with a vaccine now in hand.
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