The Yukon government has extended and made changes to the Tourism Non-Accommodation Sector Supplement (TNASS) program to provide ongoing support for the tourism sector.

The new extension period runs retroactively from April 1 to July 31, and there are changes.

Support remains up to a monthly financial break-even only. Existing monthly and program caps ($20,000 per month with a four-month maximum of $40,000) reset on April 1 for the four-month extension period.

Applicants must demonstrate that, pre-pandemic, visitors made up at least 60 per cent of business revenue.

Businesses must be open and operating to be eligible for funding.

Accommodation sector businesses previously eligible under the Tourism Accommodation Sector Supplement (TASS) can now apply for TNASS and are subject to the new terms and conditions.

The government will continue to monitor economic indicators and work with the tourism sector and the Yukon’s business community to adapt and implement economic support programs.

“The Yukon’s tourism sector represents a significant part of the Yukon’s economy and tourism operators were particularly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Economic Development Minister Ranj Pillai said last Thursday.

“As national and international travel resumes, it is important that the Yukon’s tourism sector can continue to access the support they need to operate and return to pre-pandemic operations.”

The Tourism Non-Accommodation Sector Supplement was introduced to mitigate the losses of tourism-reliant businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The extension of TNASS through July 31 will help visitor-reliant businesses to transition to the expected return to near-normal travel.

An updated application form will be made available there shortly.