Earlier this month, Memory McLeod reported in the Leader-Post that there are fewer American travellers coming through the province:
""We are about to see an influx of American travellers who come through this time every year on their way back from Alaska. Other than those, no we have not seen a lot," said Peggy Henderson, visitor services manager at Tourism Regina.
The amount of American travellers to the province was down in July by 30 per cent compared to last year. June saw a 26 per cent decrease and a 4 per cent decrease in May."
That was really to be expected given the fuel prices, the current challenges in getting tourism stakeholders working together to harmonize our tourism offering around Saskatchewan's distinctive character in a way that makes our products attractive to international markets, and given current uncertainties around passports requirements.
I received phone calls from clients in the US requesting clarifications. One would be traveller from Michigan called us after visiting websites both in Canada and the US, and being left confused.
There is no doubt that Saskatchewan, its cities and rural communities have the potential to grow tourism revenues from sources other than the domestic market... but the entire Canadian tourism industry is struggling with the US market at the moment. It is indeed a time for innovation an renewed emphasis on collaborative strategies and tourism partnerships.
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