Tourism Draft Technical Backgrounder

DRAFT TECHNICAL BACKGROUNDER Northern Ontario Multimodal Transportation Strategy Tourism Prepared for the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and Ministry of Northern Development and Mines Consulting Team: IBI Group | Hemson Consulting Ltd. November 2016 IBI GROUP DRAFT TECHNICAL BACKGROUNDER: TOURISM Prepared for the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and Ministry of Northern Development and Mines This draft technical backgrounder was prepared for the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and Ministry of Northern Development and Mines by the consultant team to assist the ministries in developing the Northern Ontario Multimodal Transportation Strategy. The opinions and ideas in this backgrounder are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the positions of the ministries or of the Government of Ontario. Cette publication hautement spécialisée Tourism Technical Backgrounder n'est disponible qu'en anglais conformément au Règlement 671/92, selon lequel il n’est pas obligatoire de la traduire en vertu de la Loi sur les services en français. Pour obtenir des renseignements en français, veuillez communiquer avec le Ministère des Transports au 1-844-505-5006 ou par courriel à [email protected]. November 2016 IBI GROUP DRAFT DRAFT TECHNICAL BACKGROUNDER: TOURISM Prepared for the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and Ministry of Northern Development and Mines Table of Contents 1 Overview .................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Representative Northern Ontario Tourism Attractions and Activities ........................................................................................... 2 2 Jurisdiction, Policies, and Programs ...................................................... 5 2.1 Provincial Policy and Programs ........................................................ 5 2.2 Federal Jurisdiction, Policies and Programs ..................................... 9 3 Current and Historic Northern Ontario Tourism Activity Trends ........ 11 3.1 Geographic Tourism Markets ......................................................... 11 3.2 Tourism Activities in Northern Ontario ............................................ 14 3.3 Seasonal Variation in Tourism Activity ............................................ 16 3.4 Historic Tourism Volume Trends..................................................... 17 4 Tourism Travel Considerations by Transportation Mode .................... 19 4.1 Travel Mode Shares for International Visitors to Northern Ontario . 19 4.2 Passenger Vehicle Travel ............................................................... 21 Travel Routes ...................................................................................... 21 Promoted Tourism Routes ................................................................... 24 Snowmobile Routes ............................................................................. 26 Wayfinding and Signage ...................................................................... 28 4.3 Intercommunity Bus and Rail Passenger Transportation ................ 32 Rail Travel ........................................................................................... 32 Intercommunity Bus ............................................................................. 33 4.4 Air Travel ........................................................................................ 34 4.5 Marine Travel .................................................................................. 35 Marine Ferries...................................................................................... 35 5 Outlooks ................................................................................................... 36 5.1 Factors Influencing Potential Future Tourist Demand ..................... 36 Southern Regions at the Edge of a Rapidly Growing Metropolitan Area36 An Aging Population and Rising Incomes ............................................ 37 November 2016 i IBI GROUP DRAFT TECHNICAL BACKGROUNDER: TOURISM Prepared for the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and Ministry of Northern Development and Mines Table of Contents (continued) Continued Policy Interest in Tourism and Healthy Lifestyles ................ 38 Fluctuations in the Canadian Dollar ..................................................... 38 5.2 Expected Future Tourism Demand ................................................. 39 Population Growth in Tourism Source Markets .................................... 41 Forecast Tourism Growth Scenarios .................................................... 44 Expected Tourism Growth Rates ......................................................... 46 5.3 Near-Term Focus of Tourism Marketing ......................................... 47 6 Issues and Opportunities ....................................................................... 48 6.1 Issues ............................................................................................. 48 Declining Resident Population ............................................................. 48 Passenger Transportation Challenges ................................................. 48 Tourist Services and Information ......................................................... 49 Other Highway Travel Challenges ....................................................... 49 Indigenous Lands and Treaty Rights ................................................... 50 6.2 Opportunities .................................................................................. 50 Increased Rate of Highway Improvements .......................................... 50 Growth in Neighbouring Tourist Markets .............................................. 50 Declining Fuel Costs and Lower Canadian Dollar ................................ 51 Infrastructure Investments in Other Sectors ......................................... 51 Increasing Interest in Indigenous Tourism Opportunities ..................... 51 Potential Longer Marine Travel Season ............................................... 52 References ....................................................................................................... 53 Alternate Text for Exhibits .............................................................................. 55 November 2016 ii IBI GROUP DRAFT TECHNICAL BACKGROUNDER: TOURISM Prepared for the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and Ministry of Northern Development and Mines Table of Contents (continued) List of Exhibits Exhibit 1.1: Map of Northern Ontario Multimodal Transportation Infrastructure ......................................................................................... 3 Exhibit 1.2: Map of Representative Tourist Activities in Northern Ontario .......... 4 Exhibit 2.1: Map showing borders of Regional Tourism Organizations (RTOs) in Northern Ontario ................................................................... 6 Exhibit 3.1: Number of Tourist Visits to RTO 13 Sub-Regions by Market Area, 2012 .......................................................................................... 12 Exhibit 3.2: Top Tourist Activities in RTO13 by Visitor Origin Market, 2012 ..... 15 Exhibit 3.3: Tourist Visits to RTO 13 Northern Ontario by Time of Year and Visitor Residence, 2012 ...................................................................... 16 Exhibit 3.4: Trend in Tourist Arrivals in Northern Ontario by Origin, 2002- 2012 .................................................................................................... 17 Exhibit 3.5: Trend in Average Gas Prices in Northern Ontario and Value of the Canadian Dollar, 2002-2012 ......................................................... 18 Exhibit 4.1: International Visitor Arrivals in Northern Ontario by Mode, 2015 Person-Trips .............................................................................. 20 Exhibit 4.2: Map of Tourism Travel Flows across Northern Ontario Border Crossings and Along Provincial Highways, 2011 ................................ 22 Exhibit 4.3: Motorcycle Touring Routes Promoted by Sub-Regions of Tourism Northern Ontario ................................................................... 25 Exhibit 4.4: Map of Northern Ontario Snowmobile Trails .................................. 27 Exhibit 4.5: Examples of Tourism-Oriented Directional Signing and Logo Signage ............................................................................................... 29 Exhibit 4.6: Map of TODS Sign Locations in Northern Ontario ......................... 30 Exhibit 4.7: Map showing Locations of Logo Signs in Northern Ontario ........... 31 Exhibit 5.1: Change in Share of Total Travel by Age Group, RTO 12 and 13, 2006-2013 ..................................................................................... 37 Exhibit 5.2: Main Purpose of Trip, Northern Ontario Tourism Regions, 2013 .................................................................................................... 39 November 2016 iii IBI GROUP DRAFT TECHNICAL BACKGROUNDER: TOURISM Prepared for the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and Ministry of Northern Development and Mines Table of Contents (continued) Exhibit 5.3: Distribution of Northern Ontario Trips by Destination, 2013 ........... 40 Exhibit 5.4: RTO Tourism Demand by Residence Location, Northern Ontario Regions, 2012 ........................................................................ 42 Exhibit 5.5: Projected Population and Growth Rates for Tourist Source Markets ..............................................................................................

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