The company has 18 employees, fewer than half of what it normally has. Pierce says the company needs at least 24, but employees are so in demand that she gets a handful of no-shows every time she sets up interviews.

“People are just being snapped up left, right and centre. I’ve never seen anything like it,” Pierce says. “We’re not expecting business to surge to 2019 levels, but we’re hoping for the best [when travel restrictions ease] and we hope we have enough employees.”

Canadian businesses near the border have spent weeks preparing for Monday, when Canada will start allowing fully vaccinated US citizens and permanent residents to cross the border. But the expected uptick in travel comes as businesses across North America face staffing shortages and supply chain issues. That could mean travellers to Canada will have a harder time getting certain reservations or face longer wait times, according to some business owners.

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Although Monday’s easing of travel restrictions is expected to boost traffic to Canada, businesses and local leaders say it will take time before tourism rates are comparable to 2019 levels.

Denis Vinette, vice-president of the Canada Border Services Agency’s travellers branch, said the agency predicted a 10 per cent to 25 per cent increase in traffic toward Canada on August 9 – a significant increase, but only about 20 per cent of normal traffic.

But even a small boost is good news for cities like Toronto, where Americans make up the majority of its almost 30 million annual tourists. A 2020 report from Toronto’s tourism marketing organisation Destination Toronto, found the city had lost about C$8.4 billion (US$6.7 billion) in economic activity after one year of the pandemic.

“It’s been devastating,” says Toronto’s mayor John Tory. “If you look at a lot of the major tourist destinations downtown … they’ve been vacant.”

Niagara Falls mayor Jim Diodati says he doesn’t expect a “massive rush” come Monday, especially knowing travellers trying to cross the land border will face longer waiting times thanks to enhanced public health measures including the need to show proof of vaccination.

“I think the first to come across won’t be your typical tourists,” Diodati says, adding that he expects to see more Americans crossing to visit family or property. He doesn’t anticipate cross-border travel to pick up significantly until next year, a long wait for a city that gets roughly half its tourism revenue from American visitors.

“The American tourists matter,” Diodati said. “[Local businesses] are already planning for next [travel] season.”

Nevertheless, businesses have already started to see an uptick in demand. Ann Marie Nitso, owner of the Old Stone Inn Boutique Hotel in Niagara Falls, says the hotel doubled its bookings shortly after the Canadian government announced the border reopening date. She estimates about 65 per cent of the hotel’s business comes from American visitors.

“There’s been a lot of pent-up demand,” Nitso says. “I’ve been receiving reservations for the Christmas period. So people are definitely more confident now that the borders have reopened.”

Dan Lehmann, owner of the Duck Bay Lodge near the Lake of the Woods in Ontario, says his limited staff are rushing to get the fishing resort ready for business after sitting empty for two years.

“The tough part is … the fact that the supply chain is really interrupted,” he says. “Something as simple as getting some nails at the hardware store, they’re not available. All the different little parts we use with boats and motors and running the lodge aren’t necessarily available like they used to be.”

Staffing is a major issue for Nitso, who says her hotel has had to outsource housekeeping for the first time. “It’s something we never thought we’d have to do,” she says.

Hanif Harji, CEO of Scale Hospitality, which owns a number of restaurants in Toronto, says the company is already struggling to keep up with demand with its current staff. Certain restaurants have had to close for lunch or one full day each week to make sure employees get time off.

“All [the lifting of restrictions] is going to do is add to the demand, but demand is outpacing supply today,” Harji says. “The tourism business is going to be great, but it’s also going to be very challenging for people to find reservations. Restaurants are being booked up two, three, four weeks in advance.”

Harji says he’s trying to increase staffing levels by 30 per cent to meet current demand.

“I think it’s going to take a couple of weeks to get staffed up and ready to manage that kind of volume,” Harji says. But “in the long term, I think [the border reopening] is going to be great for business.”

The effects are being seen in Quebec as well, where Michelle Doré runs three hotels: Hôtel Champlain, Hôtel Jardin Ste-Anne and Auberge Place d’Armes. She estimates her business is short-staffed by about 20 per cent after many of her former staff members left the hospitality industry.

“We will have the pleasure of having [American tourists], but it’ll be … challenging to give the best service that we can,” she says. “Maybe we’ll ask them when they come, can you be just a little patient or give us a little break? … The service will be there, but maybe a little bit longer.”