As BC reopened over the summer months, more and more people paid Baillie House a visit.
Beginning at the end of June and continuing into July and August, each week was busier than the last at the visitor centre.
According to the Baillie House’s third-quarter report, traffic dropped by 24% throughout the summer months compared to 2019, due to the ongoing pandemic. However, more and more visitors began returning from both inside the province and out.
Overall, they saw 10,335 visitors during the summer.
The report states that the most popular use of the centre was to gain information on camping locations, outdoor activities, and parks.
The vast majority of these visitors were British Columbians, though Albertans generally strolled in each day as well.
About 5% of the visitors were from other regions in Canada.
Most of those that walked through the door were only going to be in Merritt for less than a day: around 78%.
Only about 7% were looking to stay in the area for multiple nights.
In terms of utilizing the property, just over half used the site facilities, including the washroom and picnic area.
Heading into the winter months, hours at the visitor centre have been changed to Tuesday-Saturday, from 10a.m.-4p.m.
A new furnace was installed in October.
