Travel Manitoba consultant Al McLauchlan spoke to Arctic Radio about how the tourism industry has been affected by the COVID 19 pandemic.

The provincial tourism industry has been based on a tourism model where 90 percent of tourists come from the United States and with closed borders this customer base has been lost to some extent and in some areas the tourism industry has decreased 60 to 90 percent.

To fix the problem Businesses, Travel Manitoba, and the Province have work towards marketing tourism within the province by encouraging people to visit parts of Manitoba that they have never been too before.

These efforts have paid off as Manitoba lodges have managed to get a lot of visitors and many have been almost fully booked.

McLauchlan added that Manitobans have been visiting local resorts in places like Snow Lake and he wants to encourage people to get out and enjoy the province.