Algoma Central Railway: Wilderness Tourism by Rail Opportunity Study

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Algoma Central Railway: Wilderness Tourism by Rail Opportunity Study Social Enterprises Knowledgeable Economies and Sustainable Communities Coalition for Algoma Passenger Trains Linda Savory-Gordon Diane Merini Sharon Sayers A research report prepared for the Northern Ontario, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan Regional Node of the Social Economy Suite Funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Conseil de recherches en sciences humaines du Canada Entreprises sociales économies intelligentes et communautés durables Algoma Central Railway: Wilderness Tourism by Rail Opportunity Study Prepared For: Coalition for Algoma Passenger Trains And Their Funding Partners: Prepared By: MALONE GIVEN PARSONS LTD. September, 2007 Algoma Central Railway: Wilderness Tourism by Rail Opportunity Study Prepared for: Coalition for Algoma Passenger Trains Prepared by: Malone Given Parsons Ltd. With a thank you to the following researchers in the Community Economic and Social Development program of Algoma University College: Linda Savory Gordon Bonnie Gaikezheyongai Sharon Sayers Diane Merini September 2007 Job No. 07:1664 This paper is part of a collection of research reports prepared for the project Linking, Learning, Leveraging Social Enterprises, Knowledgeable Economies, and Sustainable Communities, the Northern Ontario, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan Regional Node of the Social Economy Suite, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. The project is managed by four regional partners — the Centre for the Study of Co-operatives and the Community-University Institute for Social Research at the University of Saskatchewan, the Winnipeg Inner-City Research Alliance, and the Community Economic and Social Development Unit at Algoma University College. The project also includes more than fifty community-based organizations in four provinces, the United States, Colombia, and Belgium. This particular research paper was administered by the Community Economic and Social Development Unit (CESD), which would like to acknowledge additional funding from the Government of Ontario and the expert assistance of Malone Given Parsons Ltd. in the preparation of this report. The opinions of the authors found herein do not necessarily reflect those of CESD, the Linking, Learning, Leveraging project, or the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. Opportunity Study Algoma Central Railway: Wilderness Tourism by Rail Table of Contents Executive Summary ..........................................................................................................iii About the Project...............................................................................................................1 Introduction and Objective ............................................................................................1 Scope of Work...............................................................................................................1 Opportunity Studies Defined .........................................................................................2 Determining Market Potential........................................................................................2 Report Outline ...............................................................................................................3 Study Limitations...........................................................................................................4 Part 1—The Railway .........................................................................................................6 Operational History .......................................................................................................7 Algoma Passenger Trains.............................................................................................7 Access.......................................................................................................................7 Ridership ...................................................................................................................9 Equipment .................................................................................................................9 A History of Tourism....................................................................................................10 Financial Status...........................................................................................................11 Economic Impact.........................................................................................................12 Algoma Tour Trains.....................................................................................................12 Other Regional Rail Operations ..................................................................................14 Ontario Northland Railway ......................................................................................14 Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway ................................................................................16 Tshiuetin Rail Transportation Inc.............................................................................17 Rocky Mountaineer .................................................................................................19 Considerations/Summary............................................................................................20 Part 2—Regional Situational Analysis.............................................................................21 The Geography of the ACR Corridor...........................................................................22 Topography .............................................................................................................22 Forests ....................................................................................................................22 Fauna ......................................................................................................................22 Watersheds .............................................................................................................24 Climate and Seasons ..............................................................................................24 Human Geography..................................................................................................24 Community Profiles .....................................................................................................26 Sault Ste. Marie.......................................................................................................26 Township of Michipicoten (Wawa)...........................................................................27 Town of Dubreuilville...............................................................................................28 Township of Hornepayne ........................................................................................28 Town of Hearst........................................................................................................29 Population and Employment .......................................................................................29 Population ...............................................................................................................29 Employment ............................................................................................................31 Considerations/Summary............................................................................................33 Page i Opportunity Study Algoma Central Railway: Wilderness Tourism by Rail Part 3 –Tourism...............................................................................................................34 Visits and Spending Over-Time ..................................................................................34 Origin Markets.............................................................................................................35 Seasonality..................................................................................................................38 Activity Profile..............................................................................................................38 Lodging Preferences ...................................................................................................39 Value of Tourism in Algoma District ............................................................................39 Economic Impact of Visitor Spending .........................................................................40 Tourism Outlook..........................................................................................................41 Tourism Products ........................................................................................................42 Tourism Establishments..............................................................................................45 Tourism Marketing ......................................................................................................48 Consumer Perceptions of Northern Ontario................................................................48 Market Potential for Nature-based Tourism ................................................................51 Considerations/Summary............................................................................................54 Part 4—Analysis and Recommendations........................................................................55 Summary of Considerations........................................................................................55
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