A new report says 2020 will be a financially rough year for B.C.’s economy, and especially so for the province’s wine and tourism industries because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Titled ‘Estimating Potential COVID-19 Impacts on BC Wine and Tourism,’ the report from wine website WineDrops.ca said hospitality, agriculture and tourism sectors “can anticipate a painful contraction throughout 2020,” adding employment curtailments or job losses could range from 130,000 to 193,000 people.
Specifically, it said B.C. could financially lose between $6 billion and $10.5 billion, with losses in the Thompson and Okanagan regions estimated to be between $693 million and $1.02 billion.