There have been many out-of-town license plates at Thunder Bay’s waterfront this summer.
“We’re seeing more Minnesota plates. We’re seeing Manitoba, Quebec. We’re seeing Midwest U.S. plates,” said city tourism manager Paul Pepe.
City workers have been doing a daily check of license plates at the park to get an idea of how many out-of-town guests the newly completed Prince Arthur’s Landing has been attracting.
The city has already noticed a tourism impact just by the number of people that have been frequenting the park this summer and Pepe said more local residents are bringing their visiting friends and family.
“A quarter of our visitors to the city are people who are coming here to visit friends and family. The local community has been a big part of helping us showcase this to the visitors. I think the local residents are very proud of the outcome here,” said Pepe.
“They’re proud of the caliber of the architecture here and the range of activities that are here throughout the park,” he added.
While the exact number of visitors to the park are hard to track, Pepe said in addition to checking license plates, the nearby restaurants and businesses have been really selling Prince Arthur’s Landing to their customers.
They’ve also had to constantly restock the visitor magazines they offer at the marina for tourists.
The city is also promoting the park through travel media. Pepe said they have had 16 travel media from across North America down at the waterfront so they can see how the park works as an outdoor hub for activities like sailing and fishing.
Pepe said they’ll be able to get a better idea of the park’s true tourism value in the fall after they sit down with their tourism partners.
“It’s value-added. It’s something that’s keeping visitors here in the city a little longer. They’re exploring. It’s getting them downtown and in the restaurants as well,” he said.
