Here’s how badly Canadian border closure has hit Whatcom tourism
With the border closed to nonessential travel for most of 2020, Whatcom residents have seen shorter lines at places like stores and gas stations. A new report indicates just how deep the decline was during the pandemic.
Whatcom County saw about 506,000 fewer Canadian vacationer trips than it typically would between March and September, according to a study published by the Border Policy Research Institute at Western Washington University. The estimate doesn’t include the number of U.S. travelers that would normally stop in Whatcom County while taking a trip to British Columbia. It also doesn’t include the trips made into Whatcom County by Canadians who own property here or those coming just to shop or fill up gas.
It will still be some time before Whatcom County starts seeing Canadian visitors again. Laurie Trautman, director at the border research institute, said that maybe we’ll see start seeing some easing of the non-essential travel restrictions late in spring, depending on how things go with the COVID-19 pandemic and the vaccine.
“Maybe we will be close to a mostly unrestricted border by next fall, with some precautions,” Trautman said in an email, adding that there will probably still be quarantine and tracing plans in place.
When asked to make a guess on the border reopening based on what she’s been hearing, Sandy Ward, president and CEO of Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism, predicted sometime around Canada Day, which is July 1. Even if restrictions are lifted around that time, she said Canadian tour operators are saying they won’t come until Canadian residents become more comfortable with traveling in the U.S.
The border institute’s report looked at just some of the areas particularly hit hard. Here are some takeaways:
▪ In recent years prior to the pandemic, up to 70% of passengers going through the Bellingham International Airport were Canadian.
▪ Around 7% of Whatcom’s homeowners have dual U.S.-Canadian citizenship; in Point Roberts it is 43%.
▪ 62% of Canadian visitors into Whatcom County come from the Abbotsford, Langley and Vancouver areas of British Columbia.
▪ The peak month for cross-border travel is August; December, January and February are the slowest.
▪ While the border restrictions were not entirely to blame, the study noted that 70% of Whatcom restaurant and bar employees were laid off in April.
What’s next
Trautman said she is starting to see signs that U.S. and Canadian governments are at least pondering a shift away from the 30-day border restriction extensions that have happened since March and are pondering a longer-term plan.
“The private sector has been very active in pushing for some solutions, and I think we will start to see some in the coming months,” Trautman said.
As restrictions are eased, it is unclear how much cross border activity will pick up. Whether it is a flood or trickle of travelers may depend on what is happening with the vaccine, Trautman said.
“I think there will be some pent-up demand, especially for homeowners, friends and unmarried couples that have been separated. However, given that the vast majority (over 90%) of cross-border travel in our region is discretionary, it seems like that may take a while to come back,” Trautman said. “That said, will those Canadians who tend to make short trips to fill up on gas and pick-up mail order purchases resume those habits? Maybe. That seems pretty safe.”
Ward said that when restrictions are eased and eventually lifted, Whatcom’s tourism campaign will be geared toward showing Canadians the fun in visiting Whatcom County for a day or two, something beyond the quick trip to Costco or Trader Joe’s.
“Have they been away long enough that they have broken the habit of shopping down here? We want to be able to show them that Whatcom has more to offer,” Ward said.
This story was originally published December 21, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
