Questions remain around hospitality industry post-pandemic

With the end apparently in sight for COVID-19 in Saskatchewan, it’s time for not only people to heal, but businesses as well.

Over the course of the pandemic, the hospitality industry suffered immensely, leading to large numbers of businesses shutting their doors.

So what will the next steps look like for hospitality in Saskatchewan? Will things change a lot?

Jim Bence, the president and CEO of Hospitality Saskatchewan, visited 650 CKOM’s Brent Loucks on Wednesday to try and break down these questions.

“June 20 is just around the corner and I think that, as the restrictions lift, people are just exhaling for the first time,” Bence said, referring to the first day of Step Two of the province’s Re-Opening Roadmap.

“I think that comparatively speaking to other provinces on the restaurant, tavern (and) pub side, we’re in pretty good shape because we didn’t really close down this entire time.”

Bence explained keeping food and beverage businesses open for the most part was beneficial and those businesses will hopefully be able to recover.

Where the big challenges will arise is when it comes to employment.

“We got festivals and events, cultural attractions all gearing to open the doors and of course now that’s putting pressure on making sure that we’ve got the employees in place; (businesses) laid off a lot of people.” Bence said.

“It’ll be some of our bigger events and festivals that we might try to go back into the volunteer pool as well, too. So it’s a challenge but it’s a good challenge to have.”

As consumers feel safer and more confident to go out as restrictions begin to lift, businesses are put in a better position to recover.

When travelling was put on a hold and “staycations” were not as popular, many hotels were on the brink of closing their doors. But Bence explained they’re in a good position now to continue on.

“When you look at hotels across the province of different sizes … they are recovering,” Bence explained.

But that’s not the same case for big urban, downtown businesses.

“It’s still a real challenge when you consider that such a large piece of their business … is that corporate customer,” Bence said.

Bence feels big meetings, conferences and trade shows that these urban businesses need to make important relationships will probably not be seeing the light of day anytime soon.

“So that’s where it is going to get really challenging and still dire straits for those folks, and I am just really concerned about them,” he said.

By Payton Zillich, 650 CKOM