Gasp business owners call on residents to put out the welcome mat this summer

Ask Jean-Franois Nellis whether he's scared of tourists from Montreal coming to the Gasp this summer, and he'll just laugh.

"On the Gasp coast, we have a lot of space. Social distancing happens all year long!"

Nellis is the co-owner of the Pit Caribou microbrewery in L'Anse--Beaufils, near Perc, and the pubs of the same name in Perc and Montreal.

He's one of eight business owners who have signed Le manifeste gaspsien pour la sant globale, a manifesto and plea to Gaspesians to put out the welcome mat for tourists this summer, despite fears about COVID-19.

Gasp businesses have been gearing up for the possibility of a tourist season since the Quebec government ordered roadblocks restricting access to Eastern Quebec to be lifted May 18.

The police checkpoints were aimed at limiting the spread of COVID-19, by allowing only essential travel from other regions.

The roadblocks were lifted on schedule, despite concerns voiced by the regional director of public health, Dr. Yv Bonnier-Viger, about an influx of visitors who may bring the virus with them.

To date, Gasp and the Magdalen Islands have had a total of 184 cases of COVID-19. All eight deaths recorded in the region were connected to one outbreak in a long-term care facility in Maria, on the Gasp coast.

• Police checkpoints come down in Gasp, Charlevoix and Lower St. Lawrence

Bonnier-Viger still has concerns about an uptick in cases and is encouraging visitors to

self-isolate for 14 days. But he's concerned about a climate of suspicion, too.

The day the region reopened, he put out a statement calling on residents to respect guidelines, but "still be as welcoming as ever."

Tourist businesses face resistance from residents

As soon as the reopening date was announced, lodie Brideau said she started hearing concerns about tourists bringing COVID-19 to the Gasp from harder-hit areas, notably Montreal.

Brideau's family company, Cime Aventures, has been offering camping and paddling excursions on the Bonaventure River for 31 years.

Brideau says she understands there are fears, but not everyone wants to raise the drawbridge and keep people out.

"I'm also hearing a lot of locals who are enthusiastic about safely sharing our territory this summer."

It was Brideau who came up with the idea of the manifesto, to underline the importance of the summer tourist season to the region's wellbeing.

Business owners from all over the peninsula, including a music festival organizer, a farmer and a distiller, have signed the document. They say entrepreneurs have diversified the economy and developed the cultural offer in Gasp in the past few years, attracting visitors from near and far.

And while acknowledging that summer 2020 won't be business as usual because of the pandemic, they insist a tourist season is possible, if measures are in place to protect residents and visitors, alike.

Businesses turn to reinvention

Alexis Poirier signed the manifesto. He's co-owner of the Auberge Festive Sea Shack in Sainte-Anne-des-Monts, at the northern tip of the Gasp peninsula.

The site has a daily capacity of 250 people, and would normally offer a waterside tiki bar and 60 outdoor shows through the summer.

For the moment, the bar is closed, and concerts can't be held because of physical-distancing rules.

Poirier says he intends to open June 19, now that the Quebec government has given the go-ahead, but instead of music and nighttime shows on the beach, the quiet will be the selling point.

"We're going to capitalize on nature to convince people to breathe the ocean air, go hiking it's completely different, but we can offer something really pleasant to our guests."

Jean-Franois Nellis has continued bottling beer at his brewery, seeking out new buyers after hotels and bars were shut down to COVID-19. He says summer is always key but more so this year.

"Between St-Jean Baptiste and Thanksgiving represents 60 per cent of our revenue."

When the government gives the all-clear for pubs to open, Nellis' COVID-19 plan is to enlarge his patio on the Perc boardwalk to allow for space between tables. Inside, there will be plexiglass between his staff and clients at the bar.

lodie Brideau says she's done everything possible to make her business safe for clients. She's moved guest registration outside to four open-air kiosks, and put all the documents and waivers online for people to sign without contact.

She'll be asking clients to agree not to go to the community grocery store, who will offer delivery to the door instead.

"There are so many [safety] guides and every entrepreneur that I talk with is taking these measures extremely seriously."