Kelowna holds its breath as double whammy of wildfires, COVID-19 crushes tourist season
Some businesses say revenues have dropped significantly following advice from province not to visit the area
On a routine summer day in Kelowna, Pietro Peracchi's gelato shop near the shores of Okanagan Lake would sell up to 300 waffle cones full of his gelato. In the past week, he's lucky if he sold 100.
"So this year wasn't bad until the fire and the new COVID restrictions," he said. "Otherwise it would have been a good summer."
Peracchi, who owns Amore Mio on the tourist strip Bernard Avenue, is just one business trying to hold on in the Central Okanagan city as the double threat from one of the worst wildfire seasons in the province and surging COVID-19 cases keep people away.
This past weekend the province reiterated its message to stay away from some parts of the Interior as strong winds blew more life into wildfires, increased evacuation orders, shut down highways and filled the sky with dense smoke.
Nearly two weeks ago, the provincial government also told people to avoid the Central Okanagan, specifically Kelowna, West Kelowna, Peachland, Lake Country and Rutland because COVID-19 infections at the time were outpacing those in the rest of the province.
The surge of cases resulted in the province bringing in regional measures try to curb infections. They include the closure of nightclubs and bars. Alcohol sales in restaurants end at 10 p.m. and there are limits on the number of people allowed to gather indoors and outdoors.
As of Wednesday more than half of active cases in the province are in B.C.'s Interior region.
'Can't catch a break'
Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran says the wildfires and COVID-19 combined have been hard on residents and businesses.
"This has just been unprecedented," he said. "We are in a region that is under siege by continued wildfires. We're the only region in the province with regional COVID restrictions.
"It just feels like we can't catch a break but we are resilient residents here and we will get through this."
Basran said he understands the message from the province to stay away from the region to create hotel space for people forced from their homes due to evacuation orders from wildfires.
He, along with Perrachi, hope that changing weather will help ease the threat from wildfires.
"What can I do?" said Perrachi. "I accept whatever comes."
But not everyone is staying away completely. Although the city's tourist spots such as the shores of Okanagan Lake and the pedestrian mall Bernard Avenue are noticeably quiet, there are still people from out of town walking around, shopping and eating out.
Karen Knowlson along with her two teen daughters, Carli and Kaitlyn, were along the waterfront on Wednesday after travelling from central Alberta for an almost two-week trip they booked a year ago.
The family says they had COVID-19 in December and have since had two doses of vaccine.
But the harrowing drive into Kelowna from Alberta over the weekend, with the skies dark from raging wildfires made them question their decision.
"Part of me kind of second-guessed the whole idea of the trip," said Carli Knowlson.
"It was kind of scary coming here with all the ash coming down and the fact that my nighttime lights came on in my car. It was quite startling."
'Ghost town'
The family comes to Kelowna every summer and this time is staying in a house rented through Airbnb. Karen Knowlson said that if they had booked a hotel they would have cancelled in deference to those on evacuation orders needing the rooms.
"We feel bad because people are being evacuated," she said.
The family plans to swim in the pool at their rented house and spend money in the community by renting bikes, Sea-Doos and eating out. Walking around Kelowna's downtown on Wednesday they said the smoke and lack of traffic was noticeable.
"It's like a ghost town," they said.
The latest data from Tourism Kelowna on visits to the city is from June, so it will be some time before the effect of COVID-19 restrictions and the bad wildfire season on August is known.
In June, overnight visits were already down 12 per cent compared to last summer.
Tourism Kelowna president and CEO Lisanne Ballantyne said in a statement that people should follow provincial recommendations on travel to the region and postpone a trip to better times.
She made the comments knowing how a reduced tourist season could affect local businesses.
"We don't know how much more they can handle," said the statement.