Pandemic boosts summer tourism for some Manitoba resorts

Some Manitoba businesses were spared the financial clouds of the COVID-19 health crisis this summer.

Now past the Labour Day weekend,many resorts in the province arestill adding up the numbers, but the traffic would show above average or evenrecord levels for some.

Business, one resort owner says, hasn'tbeen this strong since the 1980s.

"It was busy right through. I don't think there was a week that wasn't really busy," saysShaun Harbottle, who co-owns Crescent Beach CottagesinWest Hawk Lake.

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Harbottleattributes having more guests to two factors.

"First of all, we had an old fashion Manitoba summer finally,you know, lots of heat. So I think that helped. But it was also everybody wasstaying in the province. They weren't leaving," Hartbottle told CBC News.

The same bumper season happened for Falcon Beach Ranch ownersDevin and Kendra Imrie.

"Well, it started off, we were pretty nervous in March and April and pretty much shut down. And then once things opened up in May we got summer a couple of months early and things were busy right from the get-go," Kendra Imrie said.

Imrie concurs with Harbottle, the travel restrictions made a big difference thatand the desire to get outside.

"Most of our customers are from Manitoba.People wanted to be outdoors and our business is all outdoors. So it was a perfect fit," the resort owner said.

The strong showing looks like it willcontinue after the temperature drops.

"We're already getting bookings into the fall, into the winter...weekends in January, February are already full. So, yeah, it's looking strong already," Imrie said.

Crowds headed tothe big lake

The town of Gimli on Lake Winnipeg fared well, despite seeing critical crowd-drawing attractions cancelled due to the pandemic.

The Icelandic Festival"Islendingadagurinn" and the Gimli Film Festival were forced to go virtualand suspend in-person activities.

The town's mayor says the traffic "could have been worse."

"It was actually verybusy, considering all the events that were cancelled, but there were a lot of people coming out to rural communities because they weren't going out of province," said Lynn Greenberg.

Greenberg says for the most part visitors minded the proper physical distancing, hand washing and other rules to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Winter, Greenberg says, is "still a question mark," as the effects of the pandemic remain unknown.

The mayor of the lake-side town hopes a vaccine comes soon,lifts the restrictions andremoves the uncertainty from the economy.