This Manitoba community has been receiving increased interest in summer staycations
While Manitobans can travel outside the province, many are choosing staycations right here at home – a move that is being welcomed by one of Manitoba's lakeside communities.
Adam and Crystal Markewich took a day trip to Gimli. The couple said they haven’t been to the lakeside community for years but, on Saturday, they made the drive to enjoy the weather and grab some fish and chips.
"I’ve been once years and years ago for hockey, and she came as a kid with her grandparents, so haven’t been for a while and decided to do something different," Adam said.
He said a lot of other people appear to be taking day trips in Gimli as well.
"With COVID being more and more relaxed now, too, they’re trying to get out and about and get back to kind of normal lives, so it seems busy here today.”
The beach and the weather aren’t the only things drawing people into the rural municipality this summer - the Gimli Film Festival is also grabbing people’s attention.
Alan Wong, the manager of the festival, said the turnout this year has been very good.
"We’ve had just as many, if not more numbers in terms of viewers and pass buyers and tickets buyers and that sort of thing online as last year," he said. "And then this year we have the addition of the drive-in, the pop-up drive in.”
Lynn Greenberg, the mayor of the RM of Gimli, said he’s noticed an uptick in tourism in the municipality this summer.
"There’s been quite an increase in people coming to visit Gimli," he said. "They’re coming in to enjoy the beach and everything, so definitely the numbers are up.”
The Manitoba Chambers of Commerce said with the American border still closed for travel - many Manitobans are taking day trips to the tourist destinations in Manitoba.
"I would expect that business will be brisk and good for a lot of these places that have sort of been tourist destinations," Chuck Davidson, the president and CEO of the chamber, told CTV News.
"A lot of people got a first chance to do that last summer, they’re taking advantage of it this summer as well.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.