Rocky Mountaineer delays start of Canadian travel season until June

KAMLOOPS — Kamloops’ tourism sector will have to wait for a substantial part of its income.

Rocky Mountaineer, the luxury train tour company that has a route to Vancouver and stays overnight in Kamloops, announced its Canadian travel season will be delayed until June 1, 2021.

“The travel landscape is almost unrecognizable from 17 months ago when we last operated our trains,” Rocky Mountaineer Interim CEO Peter Armstrong said in a release. “Much uncertainty remains around when the Canadian and provincial governments will lift the travel and health restrictions that make it impossible for us to welcome guests on board our Canadian routes. We are hopeful the vaccination programs underway in the United States and Canada will soon be sufficient.”

Guests affected by the delayed start to travel in Canada will be offered a future travel credit equivalent to 110 per cent of monies paid. Rocky Mountaineer also said it will freeze its prices for 2021 and 2022 for affected guests.

Rocky Mountaineer regularly brings thousands of tourists into Kamloops for overnight stays. In 2018, it estimated its economic impact to the city to be between $47 and $49 million.

The train tour company previously cancelled its 2020 season due to COVID-19.