In response to the rapid increase of Covid-19 cases and variants of concern, the Province of British Columbia has issued a new order under the Emergency Program Act restricting non-essential travel, which takes effect immediately and will be in place until midnight on May 25th, 2021. Destination BC, the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport, Indigenous Tourism BC, the Tourism Industry Association of BC and British Columbia Hotel Association have issued a Joint Statement (see link below) asking all residents of BC to stay local to reduce the risk of transmission in our communities.
Tourism Hope, Cascades & Canyons and AdvantageHOPE are asking that our residents and local businesses join us in our efforts to protect our region and the healthcare system. We must stay local now so that we can get back to exploring our beautiful province and be able to welcome visitors back again soon.
Please be advised that under the new restrictions, Hope is being included in the Interior/Northern Health Region. This is a positive scenario for our community to be in as it supports our efforts that have been made to keep our community safe and it allows us to continue to enhance those efforts. Hope residents are still permitted to travel to Chilliwack for essential goods and supplies. Please let’s also remember that this is a temporary scenario.
I want to encourage our residents to take advantage of this rare opportunity to enjoy the town of Hope like never before! Usually by this time every year we find ourselves amongst thousands of visitors throughout town. This is our opportunity to explore Hope while the sun shines. Get out and enjoy being able to shop in our stores, grab a coffee and stroll the downtown core, visit the many patios that are open and say hello to those familiar local faces. Get out and hike our trails and enjoy Kawkawa Lake as a local’s paradise!
Here is what we are doing to protect the Hope, Cascades & Canyons Tourism Region:
- All accommodators, restaurants, shops, and stores are implementing provincially approved guidelines for cleaning and physical distancing to keep staff and patrons safe.
- All activity providers have created additional safety measures as well as implemented provincially approved guidelines for cleaning and physical distancing to keep staff and visitors safe.
- Due to limited space and modified group sizes, we are requesting that you please call ahead to activity providers to see if there are additional items you are required to bring in advance of your visit.
- We have created a COVID 19 Business and Activity Directory so that you can pre-plan your trip and find information on how Hope, BC businesses are currently operating during the pandemic, as well as learn what services are available. For more information on our local businesses and activities please visit https://hopebc.ca/local-updates/.
- Restaurants are following health orders to restrict indoor dining and have expanded patio, takeout, and delivery services.
If you are required to travel through our region for essential purposes and need additional information, please visit our Hope, Cascades & Canyons Visitor Centre. We are open seven days a week from 10am-2pm. Our centre is equipped with a drive-up sidewalk service to allow you to remain in your vehicle and enables our staff to serve your needs from a safe distance. We can be found at 919 Water Avenue.
We thank each one of you for your hard work and strength through such an unfamiliar and challenging time. We understand the weight that everyone has been experiencing over this past year and we promise to continue to make our residents and businesses our top priority!
Shannon Jones
Executive Director
AdvantageHOPE / Tourism Hope, Cascades & Canyons
#ExploreHCC #SupportLocal #HopeBC #BCTourismCounts
