Not just flat: What tourism means to Saskatchewan
April 15-19 has been proclaimed as Tourism Week in Saskatchewan by the province as nationally Canada’s tourism industry is also recognized.
In Saskatchewan tourism generates over $2.4 billion in yearly spending and employs close to 71,000 people.
Tourism Saskatchewan CEO Jonathan Potts said the week is an opportunity to highlight all there is to see and do in Saskatchewan as well as recognize all those who are employed in the industry.
“It’s a big industry and we actually punch a little bit above our weight in the country,” Potts said. “It’s (tourism spending) everything from the attractions people visit, private and public, from business to parks to hotels and restaurants and so forth.”
Potts said tourism is a large economic driver in the province and something that has seen substantial growth in the past few years following the pandemic.
“The growth is coming from lots of different places, right now our American visitors are really coming back, so we saw a 54 per cent increase last year in rubber tire traffic, people driving across the border to come to Saskatchewan,” Potts said.
There was also a 46 per cent increase in air traffic from the U.S., according to Potts.
“We’re also seeing really strong supports from people in Alberta, Manitoba and other parts of Canada as well,” he said.
Potts said preconceived notions that Saskatchewan is just flat land can make things more challenging for tourism, but he also recognized that many people are unaware of Saskatchewan’s landscape which can make bringing people here easier.
“When you’re dealing with people that don’t know it as well it’s not as hard and there’s lots of amazing experiences here,” Potts said.
Potts said the tourism industry is focusing on attractions like astro-tourism, which is gazing at the vast night skies that can be seen across the province.
“Saskatchewan is a great place for that so we’re finding markets across North America and beyond that love the idea of coming here for those things,” Potts said.
Potts said hunting and fishing remain big attractions.
“Hunting licences to Americans grew about 30 per cent last year,” he said.
Potts added that 2024 is expected to be another busy year for tourism and another year of growth.
“We expect that the domestic markets Saskatchewan residents will probably want to stick around with dollars a little tighter these days, but we still expect that strong U.S. market to come in and we’re starting to see our over seas visitors return as well.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Most of the city is evacuating': Gridlock on Alberta highway after evacuation order in Fort McMurray
Four Fort McMurray neighbourhoods were ordered to evacuate on Tuesday as a wildfire gets closer to the city.
'Inappropriate' behaviour shuts down Dublin to New York City portal
Less than a week after two public sculptures featuring a livestream between Dublin, Ireland, and New York City debuted, 'inappropriate behaviour' in real-time interactions between people in the two cities has prompted a temporary shutdown.
Maximum payout for LifeLabs class-action drops from $150 estimate to $7.86
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
Sask. police seize 1.5M pieces of evidence, lay 60 more charges in child exploitation case
Saskatchewan RCMP have revealed that a historic sexual assault investigation has led to the discovery of alleged crimes against children dating back to 2005.
About 1,000 wildfires confirmed so far this year: Here's a quick look at the situation in Canada
Nearly 1,000 wildfires have burned across Canada so far this year. Here's an overview of the situation in Canada.
King Charles III unveils his first official portrait since his coronation
King Charles III has unveiled the first portrait of the monarch completed since he assumed the throne, a vivid image that depicts him in the bright red uniform of the Welsh Guards against a background of similar hues.
Full List Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
American sought after 'So I raped you' Facebook message detained in France on 2021 warrant
An American accused of sexually assaulting a Pennsylvania college student in 2013 and later sending her a Facebook message that said, 'So I raped you,' has been detained in France after a three-year search.
Tavares scores in OT, rescues Canada from potential upset in 7-6 win over Austria
Captain John Tavares scored 15 seconds into overtime and saved his teammates some embarrassment as Canada held on for a 6-5 win over Austria on Tuesday at the world hockey championship.