Lucas Punkari
After a couple of years of seeing their summer bookings improved, regional tourist outfitters are expecting another good year in 2013.
“I think it’s going to be a pretty good season overall,” said Lucas Adams, owner of Gateway North Outfitters on Off Lake north of Emo, who was elected the new president of the North Western Ontario Tourism Association during its annual spring meeting last Wednesday.
“We’ve seen a slow upward trend over the last few years, and things have been going in the right direction for many of us here,” he noted.
“I think it really varies from camp to camp,” Adams conceded. “But of course, the border issues have been getting better and the American economy has [rebounded], which is helping us out for bringing people in from the United States.
“My business is geared more towards the American tourists,” he added. “But I know of different camps who have been seeing an upward trend for those coming from here in Canada, especially from Winnipeg.”
If there’s been one down note for local outfitters, it’s the fact the slow start to spring is the exact opposite of the great weather last year when they opened up their cabins and resorts.
“The weather is going to be putting a little bit of a damper on things at the start of the year,” Adams noted.
“There are a few different places that have a lot of lake trout fishermen that are coming up for an early ice-out, except that the ice isn’t going to be out for them.
“[And] with the walleye opener coming up, there are a lot of camps that are going to be rushing to get everything ready,” he stressed.
Still, the majority of the reservations for many of the resorts happen later in the summer, which is when most of the business comes from during the year.
“It seems like more of the bookings are done closer to when people make their trips, and sometimes they are made at the last minute as people are busy with a lot of different things and they aren’t really sure of their schedules are,” Adams explained.
“Most of the camps have a good idea with their bookings how things will look like, especially when you get towards the end of the year, which why many people are expecting good things,” he added.
Like last year, NWOTA’s spring meeting this year saw a lot of positive discussions on various topics, such as the border and the FMZ5 regulations, which are expected to go into effect at the start of next year.
“With the fishing regulations, everyone is happy about that as that was something we have been working on here in the discussions with the MNR,” Adams said.
“When it comes to the border, the issues that we have had with the crossings in the past are moving forward nicely, as the things that were implemented last year are working well,” he noted.
Under the Tourism Facilitation Action Plan, U.S. tourists with a single indictable offence in their criminal histories, for which they served less than six months of no jail time, may be allowed a one-time waiver if the Canadian Border Services Agency officer so decides.
“That program is still in effect for those that fill the criteria of the policy,” local CBSA superintendent Kevin Begin said.
“Overall, we have seen an increase when it comes to non-resident travellers, which is good for everyone,” he added.
One issue NWOTA would like to see change quickly is the fact its overall membership has declined from where it had been in the past.
“When you look at the tables here, there used to be 100-200 people at these meetings and now there is less than that,” noted Gerry Cariou of the Sunset Country Travel Association.
“Our membership is dropping and not increasing, and perhaps we can do a better job in generating support and turning around the lackadaisical and apathetic responses that people might have,” he remarked.
“Maybe it’s partly to do with the economic conditions that people aren’t joining,” Cariou said.
“But the worse thing we can do is fall apart due to a lack of members,” he stressed.
That’s an issue Adams, who is succeeding Tom Pearson as NWOTA president, hopes to turn around during his two-year term—and something he expects will be brought up at future meetings.
“That was probably the longest conversion on a topic that we had today, and it’s the one that everyone was very passionate about,” Adams said.
“I would like to get moving quickly in bringing in more members and having more people involved here, as we can get a lot more accomplished here with more members behind us,” he reasoned.
