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'People are going to think twice'

Fallout from Sept. 11 already affecting local businesses By Clare Ogilivie Businesses in Whistler are reeling from the impact of the terrorist attack last week in the U.S.
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Photo by Scott Brammer - Coast Mountain Photography

Fallout from Sept. 11 already affecting local businesses

By Clare Ogilivie

Businesses in Whistler are reeling from the impact of the terrorist attack last week in the U.S.

"It’s had a big effect," said Shawn Wilson of Whistler ATV tours.

The company lost bookings for nine tours and expects to lose up to $60,000 in revenue this month.

"We’ll be lucky to do 10 per cent of what we normally do this month," said Wilson.

"Everybody has been laid off. We’ve pretty well just shut down early."

At this time of year 90 per cent of the backcountry adventure company’s business comes from large tour groups visiting Whistler.

When the skies closed over North America last week, an aviation first, none of those tour groups could get here. Even tour groups coming from Washington state by car have cancelled said Wilson.

He is hoping that holidayers still travel during the winter season or businesses may face a domino effect.

"I just think that this Christmas people might want to stay close to home," said Wilson. "But we need a good kick-off then to have a successful season."

Whistler Outdoor Experience’s marketing director, Grant Lamont, is just thankful the attack didn’t happen a month earlier.

"This is a slow time for us anyway," he said. "If it had happened in August it would have been devastating."

Lamont said the company is re-evaluating its marketing plan and looking at targeting the Pacific Northwest for the winter season.

"There is no doubt this is going to impact the resort incredibly," he said.

It’s not just people’s reluctance to get on a plane which may keep them at home. Extra security measures, while welcomed by most, will also mean long delays in flying times and border crossings.

More than a week after four U.S. commercial planes were transformed into flying bombs border crossings by car were still taking three hours longer than before the attack.

Lamont also believes Whistler will have to reassure visitors.

"As a tourist destination we are going to have to ensure that our guests feel safe here," he said.

That’s not something Whistler Mayor Hugh O’Reilly has spent much time worrying about.

"I think we have to have some collective discussions about this," he said.

"If we say we are looking safe how do we demonstrate that we are? I don’t know that we are there at this point."

Having only two ways in and out of the resort helps, said O’Reilly, as does Whistler’s reputation as a safe destination.

But even Whistler’s reputation as a top rated destination resort isn’t going to help in the short term.

"I think... we are all bracing for a downturn in every market," said O’Reilly. "I don’t think it matters what business you are in. I think everyone is anticipating that people are going to think twice about their mobility and what they are doing."

"I think people and businesses are really going to be tested this winter. They are going to have to check their financial resources."

Marketing strategies for the resort may have to change to compensate, with a focus on local visitors, those who can come by car, or those who can fly in without stopping at an American airport. Even prices may have to change.

But it’s too soon to say yet, said O’Reilly.

"There are a lot of unknowns and questions and I think we are going to go to our experts to get relevant accurate information so we can make very precise marketing and communication messages to the appropriate groups," he said.

"In the longer term I think Whistler will be tremendously successful. It is a beautiful place."

Barrett Fisher, VP of marketing Strategy and Business Development for Tourism Whistler, said consumer studies will be done to see how the terrorist attacks have affected people’s travel patterns. But it will be at least a month before any are undertaken.

"Our first concern absolutely must be for humanity and concern for the crisis that has occurred," said Fisher.

"What we are doing is sitting tight. We are evaluating the situation, we are speaking with our partners in market to understand what our customers are saying, and we are looking at doing travel intention research."

The consumer studies will focus on New York, Washington state, California and Toronto.

"It’s too early to understand what travel intentions for our customers will be," said Fisher.

"When you look at this crisis it is an unusual circumstance and we don’t know what the implications will be. We don’t know if it will be business as usual and things will be back to normal within two months time."

Fisher said Canada is perceived as a safe destination by the rest of the world and Tourism Whistler will continue to promote that idea while doing everything it can to reassure customers that safety is a top priority.

"Safety has to be number one for us," said Fisher. "We have to ensure that our customers feel comfortable and that they feel confident in their travel decisions."

Surveys of travellers have always shown that safety is a top priority said Professor Peter Williams, director of the Center for Tourism Policy at Simon Fraser University.

"Survey after survey shows that safety from a personal point of view is right at the top of the list of concerns for people when they travel," he said.

"Safety is a blockbuster factor. It’s a show stopper. No matter how many other factors are appealing, if safety isn’t there why would you risk it?

Williams said travellers will be looking for destinations that are safe and Whistler, B.C., and Canada certainly fit the bill.

"Canada is not on the world map as a target for terrorism, at least not at this point. So... while flows may be down, flows to Canada might be better than expected, under the circumstances."

The best thing local governments and businesses can do now, said Williams, is to reassure travellers that procedures are in place to keep them safe.

And many businesses, he said, should target local markets for customers in the short term.

The long term business plan is more difficult because there are so many factors which may affect tourism, such as cost of airfares, the hassle of travelling anywhere due to increased security, more terrorist attacks and the response of the Western World to such events.

"Generally terrorism has a short term effect and in the longer term we tend to bounce back to a more stable situation," said Williams.

"But we are talking about more than a terrorist attack here. We are talking about a war and that will change the whole ball game completely. It’s a terrible threat."