by Timothy Schafer on Thursday May 06 2021 With most events like the Canada Day celebrations in Nelson cancelled, the COVID-19 stranglehold on tourism continued its stifling ways into 2021. — The Nelson Daily photo Devastating. That’s the word that summarizes the last year in the tourism sector in the region, according to Nelson Kootenay Lake Tourism (NKLT) executive director Dianne Ducs. COVID-19 ran rampant through the human population throughout much of 2020, and with it was squelched a good portion of the region’s economy in the tourism sector, she explained to city council in an annual update on tourism. That stranglehold on tourism continued its stifling ways into 2021 and the region — like the majority of the country — is still in the throes of a lockdown, she said.