Elisha Ammann, executive director of the Medicine Hat Accommodation Association. (CHAT News Photo/Bob Schneider)

By Chris Brown

Lack of sport tourism will hurt in winter

Summer stays boosted by value-added packages

Oct 27, 2020 | 4:32 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Like all parts of the local economy the hotel and motel industry took a hit in the spring amid COVID-19 restrictions.

The summer months provided a bump from a bleak spring.

“Business picked up quite a bit over the summer, which was great. It was still down from prior years. Probably 40 per cent less occupancy,” says Elisha Ammann, executive director of the Medicine Hat Accommodation Association (MHAA).

Ammann says rates below $100 in the summer, something she says hasn’t been seen in a couple of years, helped with occupancy but the lower rates took a bite out of finances.

She credits value-added packages for things like golf and brewery tours for helping boost the summer occupancy numbers.

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“We sold over 250 golf packages this season, which is great for our local golf courses too because that means there was over 500 rounds of golf that we were able to bring in from out-of-town visitors,” she said.

As summer turned to fall, Ammann says a number of construction projects in the area helped keep occupancy rates steady. But, she adds, hotels are starting to see a decrease in occupancy again with those projects finishing.

The association is eyeing more packages – for things like brewery tours and choose your own adventure one – to help.

Ammann says winter is expected to be especially lean this year with COVID putting a halt on hockey tournaments, bonspiels and school athletics.

“Sports tourism is a big industry here,” she says. “Not just for the hotels but for all of those businesses that rely on that team travelling business.”

She says they are encouraging teams travelling for league games to stay the night and offering packages.

Attracting people for staycations and short-haul trips is also on Ammann’s radar.

“We know that the business is going to be less over the winter and we’re just trying to do everything we can to help all the businesses,” she says. “We think of hotels first because we’re the accommodation association but certainly those partnerships help with the local businesses and we know it helps our community as a whole when we’re all able to partner together.”