Tourism year off to "good" start.

The hotel occupancy rate in Thunder Bay for the first quarter of 2001 indicates the year is off to a good start, and officials with the city's tourism department say it may be a sign of things to come.

"It's a good way to start the year," Patricia Forrest, manager of Tourism Thunder Bay, says. "You're traditionally starting the year a little behind because the numbers are weakest in January and February, so it's an excellent way to start the year."

By the end of March, the city's convention hotels had recorded a 4.8 per cent improvement in occupancy over the first three months of 2000.

To date, the hotels have an overall occupancy of 62.8 per cent, compared to 58 per cent last year.

Forrest says March has been the strongest month of the quarter, showing a 6.4 per cent improvement, followed by February with a 5.0 per cent improvement and January with a 3.1 per cent improvement.

"I would say probably the heavy snowfall (was a big factor), so there were more outdoor recreation-type activities like skiing and snowmobiling (drawing in tourists)" she says.

Overall tourism numbers for 2000 were only slightly higher - about two per cent - than the previous year, Forrest notes, but the number of American tourists continues to fall below expectations.

"We're actually not showing increases in Americans at this time. It was about the same in January, it was lower in February and those are the only figures we have. But the value of the dollar, even though we've been pushing that extensively, does not seem to be as compelling a message as one might have thought. It's a factor, but overall it doesn't appear to be the compelling reason for an American to visit Canada."

Forrest says she expects Thunder Bay will see a good summer in terms of tourism. The season will also get a boost when the city hosts the Michigan Outdoor. Writers in June.

"We are expecting millions of dollars in exposure as a result of that (event)," she says.

The city's second annual International Tai Chi Festival, which last year drew crowds from around the world, will also be a high-light of the summer.

One event that will not return this summer, however, is the Thunder in the Air Show at the Thunder Bay International Airport.

After only six years, the two-day event featuring an air show and static displays has been grounded due to poor attendance numbers.

In an attempt to save the show, officials say it will run every other year beginning in the summer of 2002.

"This was a business decision," Dave Van-Wagoner, vice-chair of the air show's board of directors, said when he announced the change earlier this year.

"After consultation with our volunteers, sponsors and the public and a lot of deliberation, we have decided that, in the interest of ensuring the viability of the show, we will aim to stage it every second year," Van-Wagoner said.

Attendance numbers, he said, have dropped since peaking in 1998. Just 8,000 spectators came to watch the show in 2000, about 4,000 shy of attendance goals.

The Thunder in the Air Show first took off in 1995 and has since attracted aerobatics performers from around the world, including the Snowbirds.

Van-Wagoner said while the Snowbirds are a popular addition to the air show, they are not available to perform every year.

By moving the show to once every second year, the chance of booking the Snowbirds increases, he said.

The public has also expressed a preference for an air show every other year, he added.

"Our feedback from the public indicates that, while they enjoy the show tremendously, they would be more inclined to attend on an every-other-year basis."

Running at a cost of nearly $200,000 to stage, the Thunder in the Air Show is a major tourist attraction for Thunder Bay. The two-day event has an estimated economic impact of $1 million for the community.

"It has indeed become not just a Thunder Bay show, but a regional show," Van Wagoner said, "It is unique."

Even without the Thunder in the Air Show, there are still plenty of other attractions worth travelling to northwestern Ontario for this summer, says Bill Rogoza, general manager of the Northern Ontario Native Tourism Association (NONTA).

Rogoza is hoping tourists will come from around the world to enjoy tourist attractions in the area.

"The U.S. angling market is our bread and butter," Rogoza says. "But about seven years ago the board sat down and realized there is more to life than the U.S. angling market, and they started to look at non-consumptive and ecotourism (experiences) and now we have Aboriginal cultural experiences.

"(Tourism) has taken that path, and obviously it is to broaden the shelf of product lines so that we have more to offer in Northern Ontario involving Aboriginal cultural experiences or ecotourism."

NONTA was formed in 1987 as a non-profit corporation to represent its membership from First Nations in the tourism industry. On behalf of its membership, NONTA plays an important role in the development and marketing of Native tourism facilities and generally facilitates Native involvement in the tourism industry. As a result, it helps to generate income and employment for Native people living in Northern Ontario.

During the past few years these impacts have been greatly enhanced as NONTA expands its membership base with a focus on higher-quality facilities. These economic impacts also extend more broadly to the over all tourism industry in Northern Ontario, benefitting non-Native businesses as well.

NONTA is a vehicle for the development of Native tourism as an economic base, Rogoza says. The association's mandate is to provide advice and assistance to First Nation entrepreneurs, communities and organizations for the development of tourism products for which there is a market demand.

NONTA is not abandoning the American market, Rogoza says, but the group is trying reach a market that remains relatively untapped.

"We do one show a year in Europe, but we do four (other) shows that are geared to attract tour operators to northern Ontario," Rogoza says. "They can be bus tours to Manitoulin Island, for example, or the Cree eco-lodge on James Bay. There are a number of properties across Northern Ontario. There is a huge amount of history in this area."

He says nature and culture are two features that have traditionally been popular with overseas tourists.

"Obviously we have both here; we're very fortunate to have rivers and lakes and trees and lots of space for people to move around and get away from the stressful lives they lead. Europeans are quite interested in talking with Aboriginal people to understand a little more about their history and their culture and different foods and language.

"The connection with the land is becoming more and more obvious. The knowledge of the land and how it works is coming forward. Europeans are interested in spending time with Aboriginal people in their communities and we use different events" to expose them to the culture. "It may be a river trip, it may be a powwow, it may be a ecotourism program where, from the eco-lodge, the Cree will take people out on the land and introduce them to their culture, both food and history."

Rogoza says NONTA is also hoping to attract more over seas tourists because of the economic impact they have.

"We find that there is also a higher spend (from Europeans)," he says. "Just like if you went to China, you would be prepared to spend $2,000 or $3,000. When they come to Canada they're prepared to spend $2,000 or $3,000 on a package, whereas you and I would probably shudder if we (had) to spend $3,000 on a package in northern Ontario."

But Rogoza says whether tourists are coming from Canada, the United States or Europe, they are contributing to the First Nations communities and their economies, which in turn helps the communities strengthen themselves.