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Okanagan businesses seek tourism rebound after devastating wildfire season
Businesses in B.C.'s Okanagan say tourism traffic fell sharply after summer wildfires damaged nearly 400 properties, prompting recovery efforts.
B.C.'s Okanagan is recovering from a major summer wildfire season that damaged or destroyed nearly 400 properties in the region. The Bradley Creek complex and the Bald Range wildfire were responsible for the damage, including at Christine Coletta's winery in Summerland.
Coletta said her Garnet Valley Ranch winery was in the heart of the fire. A home on the estate, a wedding venue and several sheds used for feed and hay were lost. The vines survived, but this year's yield did not. She said the winery may be unable to produce 6,000 cases of wine from those grapes.
With the immediate fire threat over, local communities are now confronting a steep decline in tourism. Coletta said visitors left the Okanagan quickly, both to get out of danger and to leave hotel rooms available for evacuees. She said that was the right decision, but visitors now need to return. Her business fell 70 per cent last month during the peak season.
Summerland Mayor Doug Holmes said he has heard that many businesses lost as much as 80 per cent of their traffic. Local governments have formed a business recovery task force to measure the economic impact, including losses beyond tourism and lost agricultural production.
Holmes said the figures are intended to help identify where provincial and federal support is most needed. He said local governments are advocating for businesses as well as residents whose homes were damaged, and called on people across B.C. and Canada to continue supporting the region as they did during evacuations.
As businesses begin rebuilding while facing new and looming tariffs, Coletta said the situation demonstrates the need for interprovincial trade and free trade between provinces. She said she would like to develop markets in Ontario, Quebec and Alberta.
Holmes said he hopes the end of wildfire season will not end public support for the region, whether that support comes through booking a trip or changing legislation. He described the current phase as a long and difficult recovery, and said the Okanagan still needs help.