Northern tourism gets boost.

Funneling advertising dollars into tourism magazines may be just what the sector needs, but one northern operator is hesitant to get too excited.

"Advertising will work if it is targeted properly," John Woods, owner of Sudbury--based Direct Factory Sales, says.

He sells outdoor sporting goods to other businesses throughout Northern Ontario.

"A lot of money is spent, but it doesn't mean it will hit home."

The best way to ensure success is to give funds to the operators who know what areas to target, he suggests.

In an effort to boost the tourism sector, the provincial and federal governments announced they will invest over $800,000 into three projects aimed at improving tourism in Northern Ontario.

The announcement was made at the Eco-North 2004 conference in Thunder Bay on Nov. 26 by Minister of Tourism and Recreation Jim Bradley and FedNor Director General Louise Paquette.

The Ontario government through Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corp. (OTMPC) is investing $250,000 for the production and distribution of the 2005 Outdoor Adventure Guide. FedNor is providing $157,119 to Nature and Outdoor Tourism Ontario (NOTO) to support the production and distribution of the guide.

The guide will have an emphasis on the North's destinations and attractions. An estimated 125,000 copies of the guide will be printed, with another 85,000 to be created into DVD format. Similarly, the provincial and federal governments have also allocated another $200,000 and $68,670 respectively for a Francophone Outdoor Adventure Guide.

"We are endeavouring to attract from outside Ontario and inside, as well as more people who are francophone, who have not come to this province in the numbers (we have seen) in the years gone by," Bradley says.

Both magazine guides will be available at international and national trade shows.

The Hunstville/Lake of Bays Chamber of Commerce will also receive $75,000 from the province for tourism development initiatives. The funds will be used for training for new market opportunities.

"There is recognition across the province that it is important to get people to a destination and then we can compete for the dollars that will be spent," Bradley says.

Funding investments pay huge dividends, he says.

"For every dollar we invested, we got $11 back in terms of the economic activity. That is a big payback," Bradley says.

Dividends from funding investments like this could have a 10-to 15-week payback period.

The role of both governments is to act as a facilitator to move tourism forward. Early last spring, FedNor, along with OTMPC, entered into an agreement to provide strategic and effective support to the tourism industry in the North. By working collaboratively, both governments pooled their finances and human resources to achieve a new Strategic Tourism Development and Marketing Partnership for Northern Ontario, with a $77,500 investment from FedNor to start it off.

Heeding the advice of tourist experts, the group did a market analysis called Northern Landscapes: Opportunities for Nature-based Tourism in Northern Ontario, authored by Judy Rogers. The report confirms Northern Ontario as the province's nature-based region. In 2002, an estimated 61 per cent of all overnight visitors participated in outdoor activities.

In 2002, American visitors represented 33 per cent of all overnight stays in Northern Ontario, which translates into approximately $485 million. They spent approximately $92 per night while visiting the North, compared to Canadians who spent $55.

"United States travel is slow to return to Ontario," W.R. (Bill) Allen, Ontario's Deputy Minister of Tourism and Recreation says.

"They are not seeing Canadians as the friendly neighbour anymore ..."

As far as Louise Paquette can see, they have come through with their promises to the tourism sector. Now it is up to business owners to stake out a direction and governments will follow.

Operators have asked for the governments to be present while discussing the sector's future; it was done. They asked for a market analysis; it has been done. They wanted a venue to hold tourism conferences; the federal government has verbally and financially supported it.

Now Paquette asks, "What do you want us to do next"

BY KELLY LOUISEIZE

Northern Ontario Business