Loading articles...

Tourism the topic at first Chamber lunch of 2016

(PHOTO: Frank Creasey addresses the Chamber of Commerce on January 21, 2016. Sarah Anderson. REPORTER. Copyright Rogers Media)

Tourism was the topic at Thursday’s first Chamber of Commerce luncheon of the year with the focus on how tourism has a ripple effect on local businesses.

Frank Creasey with Fort McMurray Tourism was the guest speaker and he went into great detail about the interconnectedness of tourism to other local business.

One example he gave was that when someone spends tourism dollars here in town that money ripples to at least five other local businesses including restaurants, grocery stores, and vehicle maintenance.

He said Fort McMurray could benefit tremendously from hosting high-calibre events that would draw people from driveable distances, Calgary, Edmonton, B.C. etc., who would stay in town not just for the event itself but possibly for an entire week.

He said someone visiting from those places would spend about $200 a day, compared to the average of $50 a day a local person might spend on hospitality and souvenir-type expenditures. He said that increases with international visitors who spend about $300 a day. That’s in addition to what they’re spending on the actual event.

Creasey said businesses can collaborate to enhance the experiences of people visiting Fort McMurray and should work on a strategy to entice those workers staying in camp to spend more time, and money, in town.