How COVID-19 is affecting outfitters in northern Ontario

Lodge owners across northeastern Ontario are breathing a sigh of relief that they can now open, but many question how successful the season will be.

The province didn't allow the lodges to open until last Friday due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They have to operate under public health guidelines that allow people on site to physically distance.

David MacLachlan owns Lodge Eighty Eight, a fly-in or train-in fishing lodge, and is the executive director of the tourism organization Destination Northern Ontario.

Now that he's open, it's not business as usual. The dining room and other common areas are closed and guests are getting their meals delivered to their cabins. 

He says it's been tough being closed until now.

"When you look at this type of business, for most operators, a significant portion of your business is in the spring," he said.

"Most businesses in this sector are going to have lost upwards of 40 to 50 per cent of their whole revenues for the season."

MacLachlan says another issue is the border being closed between Canada and the United States to non-essential travel. He says usually, more than 90 per cent of his clients are American.

"We understand about the border and we want everyone to be safe," he said. "The challenge for everyone in the north this year is how to change your offering to a different consumer market."

'Really challenging'

As a result, MacLachlan says most lodge owners will be trying to appeal to anglers already in Ontario.

"I suspect for most people, they're going to be operating from a five to 20 per cent occupancy with Ontario anglers," he said.

"Then, to fill out the difference it will be a softer outdoors type of vacation or cottage rental, and that's exactly what people are looking for right now."

Looking ahead to the coming season, MacLachlan says tourist operators will likely struggle. He says he anticipates most lodge owners will bring in only between 10 and 20 per cent of their usual revenue.

"It's going to be really challenging this summer," he said.

"Tourism has been hit extremely hard by the virus. We're trying to get our elected officials to understand that just because we're able to open, that doesn't mean the economic hardship has ended. Without the U.S. market, it's a completely changed business."