Those involved in the local tourism industry have been keeping their fingers crossed in hopes that this year’s season will be more successful than last year’s.
And so far, so good.
Alan Meline, owner of Alan Meline Guide Services, said the biggest advantage this year is that so many people missed last year—both for economic and social reasons—so they’re determined to get their vacation time in this season.
“Looks a lot better than last year, but I think anything would have been better than last year,” said Meline. “There were just so many things wrong with the world last year that the first thing to go was the vacation.
“Last year was the worst year in the 40 years that I’ve been involved in tourism, without a question.”
Meline said he was down 57 percent last year in June, whereas he’s now about 75 percent booked.
The downside for many is that the tourism season now is only four months long, whereas it used to be about six.
October no longer is as booked up as it used to be for Tom Pearson, owner of Camp Narrows Lodge on Rainy Lake, which he attributed to the tightened gun registry laws.
“[2004] looks good, I would say, for us,” said Pearson. “I’ve already booked more than I did last year. But it’s not that hard to be full when you only have four months.”
In January, Les Helliar of Helliar’s Resort sent out almost 1,500 newsletters to former clients, and only 50 of them were in Canada. Helliar said since the large majority of his clients are American, he needs to market himself accordingly.
So to attract the American clients despite the rising Canadian dollar, he promised the rates would remain the same—leaving the resort to absorb the difference in currency value.
“You never know until it’s over, I guess,” he said. “June looks really good, but I don’t like to count the money until it’s in the bank.”
His worry now is the rising cost of gasoline—a concern shared by others in the industry.
Maureen Hanson, co-owner of Hanson’s Wilderness Lodges, is optimistic about this season, but also is concerned that gas prices and increased border security could deter Americans from vacationing on this side of the border.
“It’s looking like not a too bad year. It’s at least on par, if not a little bit ahead,” she said. “We wish everyone a good season and hope that government intervention doesn’t prevent us from growing as an industry.”
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
