Key Takeaways:
- Due to its reputation for exquisite dining along the seaside, a top-notch golf course, and the venerable Algonquin Hotel, the town depends on the inflow of tourists it experiences during the summer.
The St. Andrews town, New Brunswick, has mostly managed to retain the status quo—and even seen new businesses open—while many municipalities battled to keep businesses running despite COVID-19 limitations and various degrees of lockdown.
The town relies on the summertime influx of tourists it receives due to its reputation for fine cuisine along the coast, a world-class golf course, and the iconic Algonquin Hotel.
Therefore, the business community wasn’t sure what to anticipate for the summer of 2020 when COVID-19 struck.
According to Kevin Simmonds, vice president of the neighborhood BIA, proprietor of the Red Herring Pub, and co-owner of two other eateries, it was a coin flip.
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He admits, “We had no idea what was going to happen.
Everyone agreed we should do our best to survive and see where it leads us.
Travel limitations meant fewer tourists from the province would likely visit that summer, but fewer New Brunswickers would leave the country.
Many inhabitants spent time and money in the town because of the advent of the “staycation,” the Atlantic Bubble, and its popularity as a tourist destination.
According to Simmonds, there were enough visitors from all around New Brunswick for it to resemble a typical summer season.
It was incredible, he says.
According to St. Andrews Mayor Brad Henderson, the community ended that summer with revenues almost 90% of what they would have been in the summer before COVID.
He claims that we were extraordinarily fortunate if you consider the pandemic and how other communities suffered.
According to him, 2021 was even better.
According to Henderson, the community did lose one business, but it might revive in the future. Additionally, three more locations have begun operating, including St. Andrews Brewing Company, in 2022.
Jess Doucette, a co-owner, says, “The support has been wonderful.”
Doucette claims that if the COVID-19 epidemic hadn’t been a concern, she and the other two co-owners would have likely established the business sooner.
She claims she was finally ready, and her partners persuaded her to disclose more.
According to her, many of their clients have said that the pandemic helped them find or rediscover the area.
In a way, their province is being rediscovery. I believe the pandemic caused that, but I believe it will persist, adds Doucette.
I believe they have discovered a new love.
Source: Global News
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