Despite reports of low tourism numbers this past summer, statistics from Tourism Powell River (TPR) show an increase over last year’s numbers for the same time period.
Paul Kamon, TPR marketing director, and Jen Vasseur, Visitor Information Centre manager, reported on statistics from the third quarter, July to September, at a recent City of Powell River committee-of-the-whole meeting.
For the first time in four years, there was an increase to the number of visits at the visitor centre this year. In total, there were 8,664 visits, an increase of 15.2 per cent over last year. That compares to 6,023 visits to the centre in Gibsons, a 1.7 per cent increase, and 6,736 to the centre in Sechelt, a 3.2 per cent increase.
The visitor demographics included:
• Locals, 1,293, 3.4 per cent increase.
• BC, 2,780, 44 per cent increase.
• Alberta, 136, 53 per cent decrease.
• Other Canada, 276, 19 per cent decrease.
• United States, 202, 64 per cent decrease.
• European, 771, 16 per cent increase.
Vasseur said generally the BC traffic is coming from Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland. “We are seeing an increase in visitors from Comox, Nanaimo, Victoria, people who have come to Powell River for the first time, even though they’ve lived on the island all their lives,” she said.
As well, the number of visits to the website were up 201 per cent and the number of unique visitors was up by 194 per cent. “We’re seeing a vast increase in traffic to our website,” Kamon said, adding 72 per cent were new visits and 28 per cent return visits.
TPR had five students during the summer, who worked with Vasseur. They staffed the Travel Ambassador Program on BC Ferries and participated in a variety of festivals, such as the Spot Prawn Festival, the Chowder Challenge during the Lund Shellfish Festival and Blackberry Festival.
Additionally, TPR had another student who worked as a summer heritage information counsellor, through grant funding from the Young Canada Works program through Heritage Canada.
Kamon outlined a number of feature stories and articles about Powell River that appeared in a wide range of publications. “We’ve actually had a significant amount of high level media about Powell River,” he said.
Kamon is also the marketing director for Sunshine Coast Tourism, the regional marketing body for the entire Sunshine Coast. The organization provides strong partnerships with Vancouver, Coast and Mountains, better access to grant funding and larger stakeholder membership for cooperative marketing initiatives, Kamon said. “I essentially act as the direct voice for Powell River in all aspects of the development of this marketing body,” he said. “That’s an important aspect.”
A priority project for Kamon is signage renewal, as much of it is in disrepair and needs to be fixed, he said. The ferry terminal signs are rotting and falling apart, he said, and they have old maps. “These are key things when people think about Powell River,” he said. “They are one of the first impressions we make and they are in need of fixing.”
Kamon has developed a three-step plan to address the issue: conduct full inventory of entire upper coast; create a comprehensive regional plan; and source funding and implementation.
Kamon also talked about developing ideas, such as a Powell River Challenge, a multi-day sporting event that would be a mash-up of logger and adventure sports. Another idea is a Powell River Sunset Festival, an event for after Labour Day designed to extend the visitor season.
