Nikka Yuko garden seeing plenty of local traffic, events selling out
Staff at the Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden in Lethbridge are happy to see an influx of visitors after a roller coaster of a year in 2020.
When COVID-19 restrictions eased at the beginning of July, the garden began seeing an increase in traffic.
“Last year we saw a 40 per cent decrease in our visitation over the summer, but then that was made up in the winter,” said Melanie Berdusco, the marketing and events manager at the Nikka Yuko gardens.
“We saw 20,000 guests coming through here so that kind of made up for the decrease in the summer and this year, we're looking like we're getting back on track to our normal levels.”
The garden normally sees international visitors as well, but this year more Albertans have been exploring their own back yard, according to staff. They added events and shows have been selling out every week.
Staff said about 40 per cent of visitors to the garden are from Calgary. The garden opened for the spring season on June 3, it will remain open Thursdays to Mondays until Oct. 10.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.