How much more can Chemainus endure?
With COVID restrictions all but wide open, Chemainus needs tourists this summer more than ever before. It’s been a long tough haul through the pandemic for businesses.
But it’s been one crisis after another and now you have to wonder about the effects of the high price of fuel. People have to make some serious decisions this summer about their spending habits based on the beating their pocketbooks are taking and determine what’s most important in making ends meet.
Under normal circumstances, tourism would have ranked high. People are tired of being cooped up and want to start moving around again.
However, getting from one point to another is going to be far more costly based on fuel alone, never mind the also rapidly rising cost of food. Excursions in those RVs and heavy-duty trucks are suddenly going to be a lot more expensive.
So the likely scenario is we might see less tourists coming in from the Lower Mainland because the high cost of travel on BC Ferries needs to be considered. The good news is more Vancouver Island residents may decide to stay on this rock and not venture too far and that might make Chemainus a desirable location.
Tofino is too far along busy roads and it now costs a fortune to stay there so that could be to Chemainus’ advantage. We don’t have the big waves on a long sandy beach, but you can’t have it all.
If Chemainus plays its cards right, things could turn out all right this summer. The key will be heavy promotion of summer events for Islanders – particularly from Victoria – to make day trips.
That will be a lot more palatable for those concerned about spending so much more on essentials.
Then again, it just might not be as much of a factor as we think because our population that relies so heavily on gas-guzzling cars has shown before it doesn’t matter how high the prices go, we’re still going to be driving.
As long as quite a few of them steer towards Chemainus, it might finally be a big help to the local economy after so many hard hits, including untimely weather-related shutdowns and slowdowns.