Manitoba Wildfire State of Emergency Update

As wildfire response efforts continue across Manitoba, and with a province-wide state of emergency now in effect, our hearts and thoughts are with all those affected, especially everyone who has had to evacuate their communities, homes, businesses, including over 100 tourism operators throughout the province.

This wildfire season is one of the most severe in recent memory. Over 21,000 people have already been displaced and communities are facing uncertainty with many of the wildfires still not under control. The emotional, economic and environmental toll is immense and the situation is complex and ever evolving.

On behalf of everyone at Travel Manitoba, I want to express our sincere gratitude to the firefighters, emergency responders, local leaders and volunteers who are working tirelessly to protect lives and communities. We also extend heartfelt thanks to those supporting evacuees across the province.

Earlier this week, the Manitoba government asked visitors to voluntarily consider postponing non-essential travel in the short term to help ensure the availability of hotel and motel rooms for evacuees. We recognize how vital the summer season is to your operations and livelihoods and have communicated this impact in conversations with government officials. We will continue to work with you to understand impacts and identify short, mid and long term solutions.

As a tourism industry, we recognize the importance of first and foremost focusing on the safety and wellbeing of all Manitobans and visitors to our province. During this period of uncertainty, we are committed to sharing information and continuing to work with you to promote experiences that showcase what our province has to offer where it is safe to do so.

We have paused all marketing that promotes travel to wildfire-affected areas, as well as travel that includes hotel and motel bookings and we continue to evaluate all current and planned marketing. We have also begun planning for a campaign that will help drive recovery once the wildfire threat has ended, so that we can continue to grow tourism visitation and spending in our province.

Our focus right now is on sharing accurate, timely information with the public and highlighting the many experiences across Manitoba that remain open, safe and ready to welcome visitors.

We also encourage you to share the following resources with your teams and guests:

We are monitoring the situation closely and will continue to provide updates as necessary. If you have questions related to industry partnerships and relations, please contact Lindsay Egan, Senior Manager, Partnerships and Industry Relations, at liegan@travelmanitoba.com. For inquiries specific to Hunt Fish Manitoba, please reach out to Elise Wood, Manager, Tourism Growth Initiatives, at elwood@travelmanitoba.com.

In moments like this, the strength and unity of our industry matters. We stand together as we navigate the days ahead.


Please stay safe,

Colin Ferguson
President & CEO
Travel Manitoba