The Nelson and District Chamber of Commerce is looking for ways to bring more visitors to the region outside the busy summer months, as local businesses continue to navigate a highly seasonal tourism economy.
The Chamber presented its annual update on the Visitor Centre to city council Tuesday, outlining recent visitation trends and how it’s working with local tourism organizations to support the economy.
According to the report, the Nelson Visitor Centre sees about 24,000 visitors a year, with more than 8,000 people coming through its doors since June.
Visitor Centre manager Mindy Fair said that number only represents people who actually stop at the centre, with staff also handling thousands of inquiries by phone, email and social media.
“We have seen so many Americans this year, which is absolutely incredible,” she added.
However, local tourism remains highly seasonal, with Visitor Centre visitation still concentrated in certain parts of the year.
Fair estimated about 60 per cent of Visitor Centre traffic comes between May and October, while about 25 per cent comes during the winter.
Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Tom Thomson added that winter visitors are also a different type of traveller, with the ski economy bringing people who may not stay as long but spend money over a shorter period.
He said that seasonality can make it harder for tourism-based businesses to stay afloat during slower periods.
“There are some other down seasons, and the down seasons are where those businesses are having a tough time just staying afloat,” Thomson said.
Thomson said the Chamber isn’t looking to turn Nelson into another Banff or Whistler, but wants steady growth that supports local businesses.
“We want good, slow, sustainable growth in the tourism sector just to continue to drive that economy, to keep our local small businesses afloat,” he said.
One way it could do that is by focusing efforts on attracting more visitors during the shoulder seasons, specifically May, September and October.
Fair said September and October can be especially appealing to travellers without children, while May could also be an opportunity to grow visitation.
“We did notice a lot of people that were trying to travel in April were having a lot of issues trying to find places to stay because there’s a lot of conferences that go on during that time as well, and none of the campgrounds are open,” she added.
“So that tends to be a bit more of an issue. And as much as they would love to be able to be open earlier, they just can’t because the weather is so hit-and-miss.”
The Visitor Centre is also seeing changes in where visitors are coming from, with Fair reporting a noticeable increase in European travellers, particularly from Germany, this year.
“We obviously ask them what brought them here instead of other places, and with the issues that are happening south of us, that has been a big motivator for people to come up into this region.”
Getting visitors here
Thomson said most tourists who come to the area arrive by road. He said access by air could be an important part of growing the tourism economy, particularly in the winter.
However, Thomson said the reliability of the West Kootenay Regional Airport has made it difficult to promote.
“We’ve predominantly seen rubber tire traffic,” he said. “We were at a meeting about a year and a half or two years ago with Air Canada down at the Prestige, and almost every one of the resorts there don’t even say that there’s air travel to get to Nelson.”
He said businesses don’t necessarily want to promote the airport when they’re worried visitors may not be able to rely on it, meaning travellers are instead directed toward other transportation options.
“Well, you know, you don’t want to tell people that it can fly,” Thomson said. “So they try to find alternate transportation routes.”
Thomson said the Chamber has been working with economic development groups in the Tri-Cities on ways to improve awareness of the airport and its year-round service.
He said there have been some strides, but the work hasn’t moved as quickly or gone as far as they’d like.
“If we can get the air, airport fixed, it would, I think, help some of the winter economy,” he said.
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