The quiet terminals at Victoria International Airport and empty lanes at Swartz Bay ferry terminal on Christmas Eve were a stark contrast to what would typically be one of the busiest travel days of the year.
B.C. Ferries terminal web cams showed relatively small lineups covering only a couple of available lanes before the 5 p.m. sailing from Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen. Traffic to the southern Gulf Islands was similarly light and the usual holiday crowds were similarly absent from Nanaimo’s Departure Bay and Duke Point terminals.
“People are obviously following Dr. Bonnie Henry’s advice,” said B.C. Ferries spokeswoman Deborah Marshall, referring to the provincial health officer’s travel advisory asking British Columbians to avoid non-essential travel.
The number of people travelling on ferries was down about 75 per cent on Dec. 23 , typically one of the busiest days of the holiday season, compared with last year, Marshall said. Vehicle traffic was down about 50 per cent.
B.C. Ferries normally adds about 180 extra sailings over the holidays, but added only 46 this year.
However, there’s still lots of commercial traffic moving essential goods and Christmas parcels between the mainland and the Island, she said.
Dec. 23, 24 and 27 are typically the busiest days for travel on B.C. Ferries, Marshall said.
B.C. Ferries continues to ask people to avoid non-essential travel. Anyone who does travel must wear a face covering while on board, and is encouraged to check the B.C. Ferries website for the reduced holiday schedule.
Things are also relatively quiet at Victoria International Airport.
It normally sees about 6,500 travellers on the busiest travel day of the year — usually around Dec. 21 — but this year, only about 850 people passed through, said Rod Hunchak, the airport’s director of business development and community relations.
Passenger traffic has varied month to month during the pandemic, with March seeing a drastic 90 to 95 per cent drop from the previous year. Through the summer, the airport was seeing passenger numbers about 80 per cent lower than last year until restrictions tightened in November and the number of travellers dropped to early pandemic levels, Hunchak said.
Passengers are down about 70 per cent right now compared to the holidays last year, he said.
