Students' return to Halifax buoys hospitality industry

HALIFAX -

A return to class has lifted spirits in the hospitality industry.

The influx of university students is good news for bars, restaurants and retail outlets, whose bottom line often depends on the tens of thousands of students who descend on the city in September.

Some students have already found their favourite downtown bar or restaurant.

"Especially the ones on Barrington Street, there are so many there and you can have a lot of different things there," says Dalhousie University student Alba Conejero.

The tens of thousands of students that are now here are bringing a much-needed infusion of cash with them.

"It's very important, is a huge part of the market place down here whether it's restaurants or stores that are here," says Paul MacKinnon, the CEO of the Downtown Halifax Business Commission.

MacKinnon says students represent millions of dollars of economic impact for bars, pubs, restaurants and stores.

"And the good news I'm hearing from post secondary institutions is that they are seeing record numbers of enrollment particularly from domestic students," says MacKinnon

Lil MacPherson owns a restaurant in the heart of the city. She says it has been difficult making ends meet during the pandemic. She says students came back just in time.

"It's a game changer right now," says MacPherson. "It's just blown so much more business back into restaurants. It's exciting, we're happy it's like life is back in Halifax."

Students also play a critical role in staffing. Many establishments have had trouble filling vacant positions but the hope is that will soon change.

"People are coming here they're looking for part-time jobs to help them pay their bills and go to school," says MacKinnon.

That's creating a win-win situation for an industry that has struggling under the weight of the pandemic.