TWEPI hopes domestic visitors will fill gap
TWEPI Chief Executive Officer Gordon Orr says 33 per cent of visitation comes from the U.S., from Michigan and Ohio, out of the 5.7 million people who come here annually.
Orr says so far this summer, the market has slowed, primarily from the Detroit area and Ohio.
'Our tunnel traffic is down a little bit, and our hotel occupancy is down a little bit, so it's been a little bit softer. Where we're hoping that gap will be closed is where the domestic visitation comes in and the local campaign comes in,' he says.
Earlier this year, TWEPI launched its largest-ever multi-pronged advertising campaign to attract visitors to the region that included U.S. advertising campaigns along with a focus on the southwestern corridor into the Greater Toronto Area to generate greater visitation.
It was launched, along with a local campaign, following the trade war and other policies initiated by U.S. President Donald Trump, which resulted in reduced travel between Canada and the U.S., with people on this side of the border considering staycations throughout Ontario and Canada in a show of patriotism.
Orr says there are no alarm bells at this point.
'There's a lot of summer left, so we're hoping August will certainly be strong as well. Weather plays a big part in that, the economy plays a big part in that, and patriotism plays a big part in that as well,' he says. 'I know our friends in the U.S. do want to come and support Canada, and they know the tourism experiences are found right across an international border.'
He added, when the economy is tough, people tighten their wallets.
'The Americans have softened up, for sure,' said Orr. 'They're not coming over as much as they were; the tunnel traffic supports that, and our hotel stats show that,' he says. 'At the end of the day with the domestic and the stay local campaign and support local, I think we're going to be okay.'
According to Orr, they're noticing that the booking windows are also shorter this summer, meaning that people aren't booking as far out but instead closer to the time they're looking to visit or attend an event.
TWEPI's summer season is measured between the May 24 Victoria Day long weekend and Labour Day weekend in early September.
— Rusty Thomson/AM800 News
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