After more than 18 months without Canadian visitors, Haines could see an influx of RV traffic and coho fishermen this week. The U.S.-Canada border reopened for fully vaccinated Canadians on Monday. With coho still running and Yukoners long cut off from the sea, the quiet days of the pandemic in Haines could be waning.
“Be prepared to maybe see a bunch of RVs,” said Haines Borough tourism director Steven Auch.
“We’re looking forward to finally getting to see our friends we’ve been separated from forcibly for so long,” said Alaska Rod’s co-owner Rhonda Hinson. “Our Canadian neighbors have always been a big part of our customer base.” Just not since early 2020, when the border closed at the start of the pandemic.
Auch has been running ads in the Yukon Territory and is preparing a newsletter with Haines business hours and an events schedule for potential visitors.
“Certainly, a lot of people are interested in coming down,” Auch said. But with the weather turning and limitations like COVID-19 vaccination and testing requirements, he said it’s hard to say how many visitors Haines will see next week.
“At this point in the year, the numbers are probably going to be fairly low,” he said. Still, he suspects that some coho-hungry Yukoners will eagerly journey to their coastal retreat before winter settles in.
Hinson is optimistic. “I’m playing it by ear, but I will be surprised if we don’t have quite a few people show up that first week,” she said. “They love coming here. I’ve had to mail products (like knives and fudge) to Whitehorse to people that are used to coming here.”
Auch said he has heard from some business owners who haven’t bothered to stock up with extra products for next week given global supply chain issues and the uncertainty of how many Canadians will visit. “It’s tricky for us in Haines to wait, wait, wait and all of a sudden, they say it’s ready to go,” Auch said.
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