Tourism Brings Unique Seasonal Challenges for Businesses
Tourism thrives year-round, but the fall and winter months bring their own surge of visitors. From wine tours during harvest season to fall color drives, holiday festivals, ski trips, and ice-fishing weekends, businesses catering to winter tourism depend on steady seasonal crowds. These visitors support restaurants, shops, wineries, hotels, and entertainment venues well past summer.
But the colder months also bring greater risks: severe snowstorms, ice damage, frozen pipes, power outages, and fire hazards are just a few of many winter weather woes. Without a continuity plan in place, even a short disruption can mean lost revenue, reputational damage, and missed opportunities during the busiest seasonal events.
That’s where continuity planning comes in.
What Is a Continuity Plan (and Why Does It Matter)?
A continuity plan is a proactive strategy that prepares your business to maintain operations during and after a disruption. Unlike insurance—which helps you recover financially—a continuity plan keeps your business running so that customers, employees, and vendors experience minimal disruption.
For many businesses, continuity planning is especially important because:
- Tourism is seasonal. Losing even a single peak weekend can impact your yearly revenue. This can be especially true for the holiday season, where avoiding commercial water damage can be particularly detrimental.
- Weather is unpredictable. A sudden storm or freeze can shut down operations without warning. Don’t let yourself get caught unprepared.
- Guests expect reliability. Travelers choose destinations based on confidence in safe, consistent service. Planning ahead can optimize their experience, even in times of extreme weather.
By combining continuity planning with commercial pre-loss planning (identifying risks and vulnerabilities before they cause damage), businesses can better protect their property, staff, and reputation.
The Dangers of Not Having a Plan
Without a continuity plan, businesses are left scrambling when disruptions hit. The consequences can include lost income from closures, reputational damage when guests share negative experiences online, employee uncertainty leading to missed shifts, and increased costs for emergency repairs that could have been prevented.
In a tourism-driven city where first impressions matter, a lack of preparedness can turn one disaster into long-term customer loss.
Winter Risks Many Businesses Face
Understanding what disasters are most likely to affect your business helps prioritize continuity planning.
Some of the most pressing winter season risks include:
- Heavy snow and ice storms can cause power outages, roof damage, and safety hazards, all of which disrupt normal operations. Our blog What to Do When Your Commercial Roof Suffers Snow or Ice Damage provides detailed steps on how to respond quickly.
- Frozen or burst pipes often lead to water damage, closures, and expensive repairs that interrupt seasonal business.
- Fire risks, whether from busy commercial kitchens or outdated wiring during holiday crowds, can strike suddenly and force extended closures. Here are five essential tips to avoid commercial fire damage.
- Flooding or sewer backups put pressure on infrastructure during large events or thawing snow, creating health and safety concerns.
- Mold growth in basements and storage areas often develops after heavy snowmelt or water damage and can make inventory unsellable. Suspecting mold? Make sure it isn’t mildew first. Here are some tips to help you tell them apart.
By identifying these risks ahead of time, business owners can take targeted steps to reduce vulnerabilities.
How to Build an Effective Continuity Plan
Creating a continuity plan may sound overwhelming, but breaking it into steps makes it manageable. The process should address three key areas: property, employees, and customers.
1. Protecting Property & Assets
Your building, equipment, and inventory are the backbone of your operation, so they should be the first consideration in your plan.
A sound continuity plan should include:
- Scheduling regular inspections to identify vulnerabilities such as roof leaks, outdated wiring, or poor drainage.
- Winterizing pipes and roofing systems before the first freeze to avoid costly damage.
- Storing important records in digital or off-site formats so they remain accessible during emergencies.
Don’t forget to review your insurance policies to confirm that coverage accounts for seasonal operations and unique winter-related risks.
2. Supporting Employees & Communication
Employees are essential to keeping operations running smoothly, especially when seasonal crowds increase demand.
We recommend:
- Building a clear communication tree so staff know who to contact in emergencies.
- Providing training on response protocols for common scenarios like power outages or water damage.
- Creating backup schedules so shifts are covered even if key team members are unavailable.
Keeping employee contact information up to date ensures quick coordination and reduces confusion during disruptions.
3. Serving Customers & Guests
Guests expect a safe and reliable experience when they are on vacation, and businesses that manage disruptions well stand out.
That is why it is wise to:
- Prepare pre-written communication templates to notify customers of closures, delays, or safety precautions.
- Train staff to handle customer service during emergencies with confidence and care.
- Establish backup systems for reservations, payments, or seating to avoid service gaps.
Contingency plans, such as alternative operational models or curbside options, can help maintain operations even when your normal setup is interrupted.
Don’t Forget to Test and Update the Plan
A continuity plan only works if it is tested and maintained. Regular drills or seasonal reviews reveal weak points before they become costly problems. Businesses should review and update their plans at least once a year, ideally before peak fall and winter tourism begins. This ensures the plan stays relevant as risks, staff, and operations change.
Why Partnering with Restoration Professionals Is Equally Important
Even the best continuity plan cannot prevent every disaster. When damage occurs, having a trusted restoration partner ensures your business recovers quickly.
At ServiceMaster by Fuson - Traverse City, we specialize in helping businesses prepare for and respond to seasonal disasters with pre-loss planning and weather damage restoration services in Traverse City.
From water and fire damage to mold remediation, our experts provide proactive planning and rapid restoration solutions to help operations run as steadily, continuously, and smoothly as possible during unexpected emergencies and peak winter tourist season.
Call (231) 202-3873 or fill out our online form today to learn how we can support your continuity planning and help your business stay resilient through every season.
