Business craters for open tourist spots outside Jasper National Park

Owners of still-open businesses just outside Jasper National Park say patrons have evaporated in the wake of highway closures and the evacuation from a destructive wildfire.

Mount Robson Whitewater Rafting Co. owner Terry Cinnamon says he feels terrible for his industry colleagues in Jasper who lost rafts, vehicles and businesses when wildfire breached the townsite on July 24.

"It was predicted to be the busiest tourist season on record ever for Jasper and Banff," Cinnamon said. "And it was shaping up to be just that — until this happened."

His rafting business is near Tête Jaune Cache, B.C., about 90 kilometres west of Jasper and seven kilometres outside of the blockade stopping traffic heading east to Alberta on Highway 16.

Much of his business comes west on Highway 16 from Jasper, and up the Icefields Parkway (Highway 93) from Banff.

Both highways have been closed in the area since Jasper National Park was evacuated on July 22.

Business has slowed to a trickle ahead of the August long weekend, which is usually the busiest tourism weekend of the year, Cinnamon said.

During peak season, the company usually takes 50 people rafting each day in two or three groups. Since the evacuation, they've seen a handful of customers each day, and sometimes, none.

"Because the highway was closed, our business dropped right off," he said.

Visitors from Prince George who can still reach Mount Robson are also cancelling bookings because they believe the highway is closed, he said.

Cinnamon has tried spreading the word by running radio advertisements in Prince George and posting on social media to tell potential visitors they're still ready to float down the Fraser River.

Tourism destinations east of the national park are in similar straits.

Folding Mountain Brewery is west of Hinton, and beyond a blockade stopping drivers from travelling west down Highway 16 to Jasper.

The public is allowed down the highway to reach the brewery and other local businesses, but not everyone knows that, says Aric Johnson, Folding Mountain's co-owner.