Toronto Attractions Like Ripley's & Mirvish Warn It Could Close Forever If Not Opened Soon

Ontario is around 21 days away from entering step three of its reopening plan, a framework that allows businesses, such as Ripley's Aquarium and Mirvish Theatre, to resume indoor operations. Yet, the reported lack of a concrete date or reopening plan for travelling has owners speaking up.

The Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable sent an open letter to the federal government on Tuesday, requesting the release of a comprehensive reopening plan for all Canadians. As well as information for when tourists will be allowed to travel again.

The group argues that the government needs to immediately install policy changes to support Toronto's travel and tourism sector, which it claims has lost $8 billion during the pandemic.

On top of this, the letter warned that many attractions are facing the possibility of closing forever if immediate action isn't taken.

"The Ripley's Aquarium has been shuttered since November 2020, and has had no revenue coming in." Peter Doyle, general manager of Ripley's Aquarium, said. "We are now well into the summer season, our busiest time of the year, and have no direction as to when we will be able to re-open."

"We need to be given permission to re-open immediately and open to welcome our doors to international visitors. By prohibiting fully vaccinated travellers from entering Canada the government is significantly disadvantaging Canadian businesses that, after 16 months of a pandemic, need a successful summer season to survive," Doyle continued.

"We are a long way away from our return to normal. Toronto's theatre scene is world-class and attracts visitors from around the globe. International theatregoers are critical to the health of our business," John Karastamatis, director of sales and marketing at Mirvish Productions, added.