Tourists and the City: Another Opportunity Forgone
For the 25 years I've lived here, with the exception of COVID, tourists have been a critical part of what keeps the city fully employed and a good share of those tourist dollars are directly attributable to those who arrive to our city via cruise ships. Before COVID the tourists disembarking at Ogden Point dropped millions of dollars into the heart of our city - supporting local livelihoods in our touristic core namely: Old Town, Chinatown, Wharf St. and Government St. Now, with COVID looking to be subsiding as uptake of vaccination has been strong, many have been eagerly awaiting the return of tourists to our city, and in particular those who come here via cruises. Many have had to make do while their livelihoods have been put into a kind of suspended animation with some not surviving the pause in business. Further, as a result of COVID, a law that required cruise ships to stop in Victoria (or Vancouver) on their way to Alaska was rescinded. Victoria is no longer a prerequisite d