Tourism-dependent companies lost the 2020 season and much of this year’s as well due to COVID-19. “We are slogging through,” Bird said. “We have been very thankful for the support that we’ve received locally and from Canadians, but it’s not enough to get us through year after year. We desperately need international tourists to be here.” Eagle Wing currently has 27 full-time employees; it had 49 in 2019, although some were part-time. Canada’s decision to open the border comes after the federal transport minister arrived in Victoria last week to say that cruise ships — which normally bring hundreds of thousands of visitors to the city annually — will be allowed to dock again as of November. They haven’t been to the city since 2019.