The executive director of Tourism Sarnia Lambton says a proposed provincial tax credit could help boost the sector sooner than expected.
The provincial government announced plans for the "Ontario Staycation Tax Credit" through its Fall Economic Outlook, released last week.
The temporary program, which if approved would come into effect in 2022, would allow Ontario residents to receive a 20 per cent tax credit on eligible accommodation expenses of up to $1,000 for an individual and $2,000 for a family, for a maximum credit of $200 or $400 respectively.
Mark Perrin said at this time, local tourism and inter-provincial tourism still needs to be promoted.
"Definitely the accommodation sector has been struggling to recover and bounce back. They're going to take a while to hit that full recovery, they're projecting a few years before we get to levels that were pre-COVID travel levels," he said.
Eligible 2022 accommodation expenses under the Staycation program would include a stay of less than a month at a bed-and-breakfast establishment, cottage or campground, hotel or motel, or a resort in Ontario. Accommodation expenses would also need to be incurred for leisure and non-business purposes.
Perrin said Tourism Sarnia-Lambton will highlight seasonal activities throughout 2022 in order to attract tourists. Perrin said they'll begin with a focus on sports tourism in the winter months, area parks in the spring, local beaches in the summer, and local breweries, cideries and wineries in the fall.
"That will round out a lot of our marketing and then we're going to work hard with different incentives such as our gift card program and more promotional ideas to actually increase the incentives for people coming down and making a weekend stay in Sarnia-Lambton," he said.
Ontario residents could apply for the refundable credit when filing 2022 personal incomes taxes, even if they don't owe any tax.