Short-term rental restrictions blamed for Kelowna’s soft tourism season
Global News
The provincial restrictions were implemented in an effort to bolster the long-term housing supply amid a severe shortage and bring down housing costs.
At Priest Creek Family Estate Winery in Kelowna, B.C., sales have been plummeting for two summers in a row now.
“Last year they were 30 per cent,” said winery owner Darren Sawin. “This year, we are probably down another 10 per cent on top of that.”
According to Sawin, the slowdown in tourism coincided with provincial restrictions on short-term rental accommodations in May 2024.
“We noticed it immediately. Our sales dropped. Our traffic dropped,” Sawin said. “We used to have lineups out the door and now our bar is empty.”
The winery is far from alone, as a number of restaurants and boat rental companies have reported feeling the hit, too.
The economy is believed to be a big factor but according to tourism officials, the rental restrictions are also having an impact.
“If we had that additional accommodation that had kitchenettes in them, we would see people wanting to book those, so there is that layer of guest that isn’t here,” said Ellen Walker-Matthews on Monday, the CEO and president of the Thompson-Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA).
In an email to Global News, Kelowna mayor Tom Dyas said, “While we have heard from some businesses reporting a busy season and others indicating a slower pace for them, it is important to wait for the official tourism data before drawing conclusions about the season’s performance.”
The agency says more than 22,000 people have been removed from the country in the last 12 months, and nearly 30,000 removals were "in progress" as of Oct. 31.
A problem with the signalling system caused a service interruption this morning on Montreal's light-rail network.
An Ontario lawyer accused by American authorities of advising a Canadian Olympian-turned-alleged-cocaine kingpin has had his licence to practice law suspended.
The FIFA draw ceremony will mark the first time Prime Minister Mark Carney, U.S. President Donald Trump and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum will be in the same room.
A new report finds anglophones face higher unemployment and lower wages in Quebec; gaps that researchers say carry major economic consequences.
Critics are questioning the solidity of Saab's pitch to deliver 10,000 jobs in Canada if it decides to set up shop here to assemble Gripen fighter jets.
The girl’s disappearance underscores long-standing concerns about the ease with which a parent can take a child to another country without the other parent’s knowledge or consent.
Asbestos cleanup, tight work windows and other TTC delays have slowed the build out of 5G cellular service in Toronto's subway system.
Alberta's UCP government is changing the rules to make it easier for citizens to force a referendum on issues such as the prospect of the province leaving Confederation.
An at-home DNA test given as a birthday gift solved an 80-year family mystery by revealing that a man in Quebec and a man in the Netherlands were long-lost brothers.
Lina Vargas was on the board for almost two years and told Global News that accountability and transparency are fundamental rights for all community members.
Industry Minister Melanie Joly told the House of Commons committee on international trade the move breaches federal contracts tied to manufacturing in Brampton and Windsor, Ont.
A targeted home invasion and kidnapping led to a gunpoint standoff with police and an overnight chase across Toronto. Two suspects remain at large, investigators say.