When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, tourism operators large and small had big decisions to make; most were forced to shut their doors for extended periods of time.

As lockdowns have come and gone, some smaller operators have banded together to make ends meet. At Rockhill B&B, owner Greg Rodgers quickly realized that he’d need to collaborate for his business to survive.

“With the uncertainty of what the summer of 2020 would look like, I initiated a roundtable discussion with several business owners representing different aspects of the industry,” says Rodgers, who is also the chair of the local tourism bureau in the Sharbot Lake area of Southeastern Ontario.

“We believed we were likely to see an influx of travellers from Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa even if we wouldn’t see the international travellers to our region. In normal years we have had guests from 33 different countries.”

With a newly restored trail running behind the B&B in Sharbot Lake and intersecting with the Trans Canada Trail, Rodgers knew it was the “perfect time to act.” He launched Frontenac Trail Tours, a self-guided cycling tour business.

The tours take place over multiple days, which means Rodgers’ Rockhill B&B needed to collaborate with two others — FireFly Adventures and Sumac Centre — to provide safe stays outside of private cottage rentals.