It’s been the calm before the storm this week at Muskoka resorts. Not many tourists despite sunny skies and warm temperatures. Resorts of Ontario says that’s not expected to last much longer. The group says operators are expecting business to rise an upwards of 40 per cent compared to last year. “Business is definitely up for our owner-operators and right across the province of Ontario,” said Kerri King, executive director of Resorts of Ontario. “I think what we’re finding is that people really do want to stay and support local.” At Muskoka Bay Resort, staff are already pacing ahead of where they were last year with a large number of guests booking their stay and booking them sooner. “One of the big things we track is our ‘Stay-and-Play’ package. It’s our most popular package,” said Laura Kiley, director of marketing at Muskoka Bay Resort. “This year we have double the bookings for the summer as we had this time last year already.” “One of the resorts said to me that for the first time they had a booking from Vancouver,” said King. “They’re saying ‘We’re not going to Europe this year. We’re going to stay here in Ontario, and in Muskoka in particular,” King shared. It’s a bit of a different picture at Taboo Muskoka Resort and Golf where business is expected to remain relatively steady. “We’re just starting to get open now… the phones are starting to ring,” said Ryan Chatwin, director of property management at Taboo Muskoka. “We’re on par for where we’ve been for the last couple years as far as bookings, which is great and waiting for the sun to shine and the warm weather to be upon us.” Resorts of Ontario launched a new digital magazine that highlights some of their best summer destinations in the province, five are located in the Muskoka region.
