Reduced Ferry Service Hurting Businesses

North Island tourism operators are bracing for fallout from the reduced ferry service from Port Hardy to Prince Rupert this summer. According to the Port Hardy Chamber of Commerce, the season will be impacted dramatically because the Queen of Prince Rupert, the ferry replacing the Queen of the North that sunk in March, is much smaller. There are no passenger accommodations on board and with only one vessel for the whole coast the schedule allows for only two trips a week from Port Hardy – about half the trips last year. North Island businesses that cater to tourists are already feeling the pinch- with tours and reservations being cancelled- and the next two weeks will be telling, say business owners. In addition, business owners are worried that as a result of reduced ferry service, travel and tour operators will market other places to tourists for next year. (Source: British Columbia North Island Gazette)