THUNDER BAY — Northern Ontario tourism officials say they continue to look abroad for new opportunities to sell the region.
Hundreds of stakeholders in the tourism sector are gathering in Thunder Bay this week for the Northern Ontario Tourism Summit. David MacLachlan, the executive director of Destination Northern Ontario, said on Wednesday that attendees heard about how the market outside North America is growing in the region.
“Today we heard about some of the work that’s going on in terms of developing the overseas markets and growing that market,” MacLachlan said. “When we started about 10 years ago, we were at point-one-of-a-per cent, and we’re closing in on a hundred million dollars in annual revenues from the overseas market now.”
The relatively recent success of cruise ship tourism to the region was also highlighted, MacLachlan said.
The three-day event, which started Tuesday, is being hosted by Destination Northern Ontario — which is one of 13 provincially-funded regional tourism organizations — along with Nature and Outdoor Tourism Ontario, according to a media release issued by the Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Commission.
It’s designed to allow those in the tourism sector, along with government officials and others, to network, present findings and “discuss the latest trends, innovations and opportunities shaping the sector,” the CEDC’s release said.
“It’s important because it gives our sector a chance to come and get together in person,” MacLachlan said. “There’s only so much you can do on a Zoom meeting.”
Kenora-Kiiwetinoong MP Eric Melillo attended the summit, and said it’s important to diversify where the region markets itself. While American tourists have historically, and continue to, account for a large portion of visitors, trade tensions have complicated that relationship.
“With the trade dispute going on, that’s something that has to be dealt with,” he said. “I think that the trade discussions and some of the animosity that’s come up as a result of that has also impacted the way people are travelling.”
“I’ve heard from people on the Canadian side they’re not going to be travelling to the States until this is done, and I’ve heard the same thing the other direction.”
Overall, Melillo said the summit is a good opportunity to connect.
“Obviously, tourism is vital to our economy and jobs and prosperity here in northern Ontario,” he said.
“So, I wanted to be able to show that support and also gather feedback from folks for what’s on their minds and what’s impacting them.”
