THUNDER BAY — There was no giant Thunder Bay sign on the waterfront to grab a tourist's attention, but Carlo Franco found plenty of things to take pictures of during a four-day visit to the city in July.
The Toronto resident gives the community a glowing review in a nine-minute YouTube video showing his experiences at a number of area attractions.
Franco had never travelled to Northwestern Ontario before.
He usually takes a trip out of the country once a year, but COVID-19 persuaded him to stay closer to home this time.
"Thunder Bay was never on my radar...I thought I'd drive up there to see what it has to offer," Franco told Tbnewswatch in an interview this week.
He woke up at 5:15 AM and got to the city the same night.
"I was so impressed. When I thought about Northwestern Ontario, I knew there would be a lot of forestry, a lot of greenery. When I got to Thunder Bay...I found it was very quaint. It was kind of like a small-town feel within a city."
In the video, he notes a couple of times that there are no crowds at high-profile attractions such as Fort William Historical Park, where he was the only visitor taking the guided tour.
Franco said having a lot of space to himself at times was perhaps a welcome offshoot of the reduction in cross-country travel during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I was really impressed with the amount of scenery up there. There were so many different hiking trails, and things I wouldn't have really experienced in a big city," he said.
Franco works in market research for a major international retail chain.
In the interview he offered some advice to the people in the business of marketing Thunder Bay to the rest of the world.
"I would really highlight all the beautiful scenery, the parks and the trails. Because here, in Toronto, going 'up north' would be cottage country. It's really about highlighting all that space that's available for those who love the outdoors and are looking to experience something different from the city environment."
Tourism manager Paul Pepe says 'authentic reviews' whet people's appetite to visit
Paul Pepe, the city's tourism manager, says Franco's enthusiastic review of the city means a lot because it's generated by an outsider who has no agenda other than to share his experience with others.
Pepe, who has seen the video, calls it very positive.
He said "the authenticity of user reviews, and user-generated content, is so critical in our marketing, because people are more likely to use reviews in planning their destination."
Pepe said to have something like this "that's completely authentic" helps whet people's appetite for what Northwestern Ontario and the Thunder Bay area are all about, and can influence travel .
He added that this is particularly helpful at a time when more Canadians are exploring their own country rather than travelling abroad.
Pepe saw evidence of that trend this week during a three-day motorcycle trip along the north shore of Lake Superior.
He said at every park he stopped, he saw travellers from southern Ontario, Manitoba and Quebec.
"It was just interesting to see parking lots packed across the north shore in the middle of September with young couples, with older couples, a real mix. We're seeing more people getting out to explore Canada, posting their content, and that is incredibly helpful to tell the story about what we're all about."
Pepe took the time to chat with people during his trip.
"They were telling me 'I've lived in Toronto my whole life, never been this far, never knew what was up here. I'm absolutely blown away by it. I love it,' " he said.
He heard the same thing, he said, from visitors to Thunder Bay this summer who had never ventured so far north until this year.
"That's a positive story amidst all the challenges the industry is facing now."
