Gaspé business owners call on residents to put out the welcome mat this summer
Entrepreneurs say they're rethinking how they do business to reassure locals who are worried about COVID-19
Ask Jean-François Nellis whether he's scared of tourists from Montreal coming to the Gaspé this summer, and he'll just laugh.
"On the Gaspé coast, we have a lot of space. Social distancing happens all year long!"
Nellis is the co-owner of the Pit Caribou microbrewery in L'Anse-à-Beaufils, near Percé, and the pubs of the same name in Percé and Montreal.
He's one of eight business owners who have signed Le manifeste gaspésien pour la santé globale, a manifesto and plea to Gaspesians to put out the welcome mat for tourists this summer, despite fears about COVID-19.
Gaspé businesses have been gearing up for the possibility of a tourist season since the Quebec government ordered roadblocks restricting access to Eastern Quebec to be lifted May 18.
The police checkpoints were aimed at limiting the spread of COVID-19, by allowing only essential travel from other regions.
The roadblocks were lifted on schedule, despite concerns voiced by the regional director of public health, Dr. Yv Bonnier-Viger, about an influx of visitors who may bring the virus with them.
To date, Gaspé and the Magdalen Islands have had a total of 184 cases of COVID-19. All eight deaths recorded in the region were connected to one outbreak in a long-term care facility in Maria, on the Gaspé coast.
Bonnier-Viger still has concerns about an uptick in cases and is encouraging visitors to
self-isolate for 14 days. But he's concerned about a climate of suspicion, too.
The day the region reopened, he put out a statement calling on residents to respect guidelines, but "still be as welcoming as ever."
Tourist businesses face resistance from residents
As soon as the reopening date was announced, Élodie Brideau said she started hearing concerns about tourists bringing COVID-19 to the Gaspé from harder-hit areas, notably Montreal.
Brideau's family company, Cime Aventures, has been offering camping and paddling excursions on the Bonaventure River for 31 years.
Brideau says she understands there are fears, but not everyone wants to raise the drawbridge and keep people out.
"I'm also hearing a lot of locals who are enthusiastic about safely sharing our territory this summer."
It was Brideau who came up with the idea of the manifesto, to underline the importance of the summer tourist season to the region's wellbeing.
Business owners from all over the peninsula, including a music festival organizer, a farmer and a distiller, have signed the document. They say entrepreneurs have diversified the economy and developed the cultural offer in Gaspé in the past few years, attracting visitors from near and far.
And while acknowledging that summer 2020 won't be business as usual because of the pandemic, they insist a tourist season is possible, if measures are in place to protect residents and visitors, alike.
Businesses turn to reinvention
Alexis Poirier signed the manifesto. He's co-owner of the Auberge Festive Sea Shack in Sainte-Anne-des-Monts, at the northern tip of the Gaspé peninsula.
The site has a daily capacity of 250 people, and would normally offer a waterside tiki bar and 60 outdoor shows through the summer.
For the moment, the bar is closed, and concerts can't be held because of physical-distancing rules.
Poirier says he intends to open June 19, now that the Quebec government has given the go-ahead, but instead of music and nighttime shows on the beach, the quiet will be the selling point.
"We're going to capitalize on nature to convince people to breathe the ocean air, go hiking … it's completely different, but we can offer something really pleasant to our guests."
Jean-François Nellis has continued bottling beer at his brewery, seeking out new buyers after hotels and bars were shut down to COVID-19. He says summer is always key but more so this year.
"Between St-Jean Baptiste and Thanksgiving represents 60 per cent of our revenue."
When the government gives the all-clear for pubs to open, Nellis' COVID-19 plan is to enlarge his patio on the Percé boardwalk to allow for space between tables. Inside, there will be plexiglass between his staff and clients at the bar.
Élodie Brideau says she's done everything possible to make her business safe for clients. She's moved guest registration outside to four open-air kiosks, and put all the documents and waivers online for people to sign without contact.
She'll be asking clients to agree not to go to the community grocery store, who will offer delivery to the door instead.
"There are so many [safety] guides … and every entrepreneur that I talk with is taking these measures extremely seriously."
