Despite the persistently feeble Canadian dollar, the number of U.S visitors flocking to this area for shopping and vacation bargains has dropped compared with this time last year, according to some local business owners.
“I’m finding there’s a lot fewer tourists this summer,” Tom Pearson, owner of Camp Narrows Lodge on Rainy Lake, said Tuesday. “I’m probably going to be down quite a bit, about 20 percent.”
Pearson hesitated to cite any single reason for the decline but noted cancellations in June played a large role. “It’s a whole mixture of things, it’s just one of those years,” he reasoned.
But the outlook for the rest of July and August looks fine at his lodge, Pearson added.
Dale LaBelle, who owns Birch Point Camp on Northwest Bay, has noticed a similar trend. “There were lots of cancellations earlier but it’s back up around normal now,” he said.
LaBelle pointed to the high price of gas in the U.S. as well as the many regulations the Ministry of Natural Resources imposes on angling in the region as possible reasons for the slight downturn.
Meanwhile, other businesses reported their numbers are on par with last summer.
At Hanson’s Wilderness Lodges in Nestor Falls, business from American tourists has remained steady although it hasn’t increased at all, owner Maureen Hanson said.
“I don’t know if there’s as many people traveling the roads as last year,” she admitted.
Statistics gathered at the Fort Frances port of entry support observations of a decline–indicating the number of Americans crossing into the region here is down by about seven percent since April.
This is in comparison to a general increase in tourists noticed at other points of entry across the country.
Greg Mercure, a Canada Customs official here, said he also believes rising gas prices are behind the change.
“During the period at the beginning of the [tourist] season, that’s when the gas prices in the U.S peaked,” he said today, though noting the numbers are slowly rising back up.
The Ontario Tourist Information Centre here also reported a dramatic decrease in the number of U.S tourists stopping in for information.
“We’re down by about 15 percent compared with last year,” said manager Jane Johnstone.
She cited the faltering American economy as the main factor but agreed high gas prices, as well as poor early-season weather, and the construction of the new Canada Customs building also might be contributors.
But the news is not entirely gloom and doom. By contrast, some local businesses actually have reported an increase in American tourists over last year’s numbers.
At La Place Rendez-Vous, for example, business from U.S tourists is booming like never before, said front desk manager Joelle Blanc.
“There’s been a huge increase. I’ve never seen this many,” she said.
But she also noted that more and more American guests are choosing to book their holidays during the work week rather than on weekends, when flights tend to be more expensive.
Similarly, Stan Wepruk, whose family owns The Fisheries on Bear’s Pass, said he’s noticed a slight increase in business from the south over the past few months.
“It’s been as good as last year, probably about two to five percent more,” he said.
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