A local tourism operator says a lack of rental vehicles is already affecting business for the coming season.

Luke Fisher, with the Fisher’s Loft in Port Rexton, says some guests have cancelled because they either can’t find a vehicle, or it’s too expensive to rent one.

Fisher says weekly car rentals for this summer in Newfoundland and Labrador can run as high as $1,800.

“And you can’t obviously come out to a place like Port Rexton, or anywhere else outside St. John’s, without having a vehicle, realistically,” he said.

It’s been a problem for years, says Fisher, adding it’s time the government stepped in with potential solutions, especially given the influx of visitors expected for the Year of the Arts in the province.

“With the amount of tax dollars that are generated by tourism, it just feels like we shouldn’t be hitting a bump in the road, when someone can’t get a vehicle, or when the cost is too much for the average traveller.”

Ride-sharing service Turo was introduced to the Newfoundland and Labrador market last year as a means to address the shortage of rental vehicles.