WINNIPEG — The Manitoba government is changing how campground reservations are made to try to avoid lengthy waits for people booking online or being shut out of securing a spot altogether.

This year, people who want to book a yurt or a cabin will only be able to make two reservations at a time instead of three.

The maximum stay for a yurt or cabin booking will be seven nights, down from 14.

In an attempt to avoid the online system from crashing under a deluge of requests, there will be five different opening reservation days, instead of three, for various parks and types of accommodation.

Conservation Minister Sarah Guillemard says there will also be upgrades to computer servers this year.

She says the government is aiming to have entirely new software in place in 2023.

"The improvements will help manage the load on the opening day for reservations, ease the booking process for campers and provide more opportunities to book camping facilities in high demand and limited inventory, such as cabins and yurts," Guillemard said in a news release Friday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 14, 2022.

The Canadian Press