15°c Clear
28°c Isolated showers
Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Tourist traffic to flow and grow
Rights museum, IKEA offer boost, conference board says
The new IKEA store is a draw for tourists. (WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ARCHIVES) Photo Store
Conference Board of Canada’s projections
Conference Board of Canada’s projections for how many overnight visitors Manitoba will see in 2012 and over the next four years, as well as total expenditures by those visitors.
(Percentage increases from the previous year in brackets):
2012
- Overnight visits 3.5 million (2.0)
- Total expenditures $1.08 billion (4.7)
2013
- Overnight visits 3.6 million (2.6)
- Total expenditures $1.14 billion (5.1)
2014
- Overnight visits 3.7 million (3.3)
- Total expenditures $1.20 billion (5.6)
2015
- Overnight visits 3.8 million (3.0)
- Total expenditures $1.27 billion (5.4)
2016
- Overnight visits 3.9 million (2.6)
- Total expenditures $1.33 billion (5.3)
Several new attractions, including the giant IKEA store and the Canadian Museum of Human Rights, will help keep tourism traffic growing at a steady pace over the next four years, according to a new forecast from the Conference Board of Canada.
The Ottawa-based think-tank said the number of overnight visits to Manitoba is expected to rise by 2.6 per cent to 3.6 million in 2013, and continue to climb in each of the following three years by an average of three per cent.
More overnight visits mean more tourism revenues for the province, the board said.
It predicted tourism spending will grow by 5.1 per cent to $1.14 billion in 2013, and continue climbing by an average of 5.4 per cent for each of the next three years, hitting a projected $1.33 billion in 2016.
The board said two of the biggest drivers behind the anticipated increase in tourism traffic will be the new attractions the province is adding and strong economic growth in the other western provinces.
"A lot of it (tourism traffic) is aligned with economic growth and your neighbours on the west side are the strongest growth provinces," said the board's associate director, Greg Hermus.
The new attractions the board cites include the IKEA store, which opened last month, the new Blue Bombers stadium, called Investors Group Field, the Canadian Museum of Human Rights, the Upper Fort Garry Heritage Park and the upgrades to the Assiniboine Park Zoo.
Hermus said conventions also bring a lot of visitors to the province, and a Tourism Winnipeg spokeswoman said there will be a big increase in the number of major conventions coming to the city in 2013.
Nisha Tuli said 12 major conventions are booked for the city next year, three times more than in 2012. Convention delegates tend to be bigger spenders than leisure travellers, Tuli said.
The Conference Board said the bulk of Manitoba's overnight visitors will be Canadians -- an estimated 3.3 million in 2013 alone.
But the biggest percentage gains will be in the number of overseas visitors, it said. That's expected to rise by 3.3 per cent to 87,000 in 2013, and continue to climb by an average of four per cent a year over the following three years.
The board said the number of U.S. visitors is expected to remain unchanged in 2013 and grow only modestly in the ensuing three years.
A Travel Manitoba official said that's been the pattern over the last few years, and she agreed that's not likely to change any time soon.
Linda Whitfield, the agency's vice-president of sales and marketing, said the slow economic recovery and a push to get Americans to spend their tourism dollars at home are hindering Manitoba's efforts to attract more U.S. visitors.
She said the United Kingdom and Germany continue to be the province's two best overseas markets for tourists.
murray.mcneill@freepress.mb.ca
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition December 21, 2012 B1
History
Updated on Friday, December 21, 2012 at 7:17 AM CST: replaces photo
8:56 AM: fixes up table, adds as fact box
Fact Check
Have you found an error, or know of something we’ve missed in one of our stories? Please use the form below and let us know.
More Latest News
- Back to Top
- Return to Latest News
More Latest News
(1 of 50 articles for this week)
'Shocking' half of First Nations kids living in poverty, new study finds
3:05 AM 0TORONTO - Half of Canada's First Nations children are living in poverty, triple the national average, according to a new ...
Poll
Most Popular Latest News
- Young girl found dead on railway tracks
- Child in critical condition after West End crash
- Court told driver hysterical after vehicle fatally hit highway worker
- Winnipeg man given 2-year sentence for coma-inducing 'sucker punch'
- Man convicted of drunk driving in Henderson pile-up
- Teen on train tracks from York Landing
- McMunn & Yates absorbs five McDiarmid locations
- HSC Home Lottery winners announced
- California 'Night Stalker' serial killer Richard Ramirez dies at 53
- At 55, I'm wise to what's real in life
- Young girl found dead on railway tracks
- HSC Home Lottery winners announced
- Winnipeg man given 2-year sentence for coma-inducing 'sucker punch'
- Child in critical condition after West End crash
- Court told driver hysterical after vehicle fatally hit highway worker
- RCMP say woman deliberately murdered her sister with her car
- Toronto woman dead in rural Manitoba ATV wreck
- Manitoba restaurant stops selling giant hamburger "for obvious reasons"
- Bomber fans wowed by new stadium
- Portage Ave. stretch re-opens after Friday-night bomb scare
- Young girl found dead on railway tracks
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- Hailstorm wreaks havoc on Winnipeg garden centre
- 87-year-old woman tells jurors, 'Somebody had to stand up to' Donald Trump
- Two people killed in crash north of Winnipeg
- Two Winnipeg teens identified as victims of crash
- HSC Home Lottery winners announced
- Father, daughter seriously injured in ATV crash
- Chiropractor guilty of sexually assaulting, beating ex-girlfriend
- Filipino singer Charice comes out as lesbian; Catholic official says she's in identity crisis
- At 55, I'm wise to what's real in life
- Basic arithmetic back in class
- Craig Ferguson adds second show
- Make it look natural; companies work to make packaged foods appear homespun
- McMunn & Yates absorbs five McDiarmid locations
- Teens can join Let It Out Summer Rock Camp
- Daycare-subsidy rules bad for business
- City-wide average mosquito count drops
- Scientists meet to discuss weird British weather, say soggy summers likely for a few years
- New Flyer awarded Atlanta bus contract
- App could give Winnipeggers chance to report bad parking, get paid
- At 55, I'm wise to what's real in life
- Sobeys gobbles up Safeway
- Priest kept silent about accusations against Storheim, court hears
- Manitoba restaurant stops selling giant hamburger "for obvious reasons"
- Basic arithmetic back in class
- Geothermal heat coming to some Manitoba First Nations
- Spiralling cost of land raises new home prices
- Jaimie Creasy becomes first woman to graduate from RRC with degree
- Rogers and MTS announce new network sharing agreement
- New owner for lumber stores
- Chiropractor guilty of sexually assaulting, beating ex-girlfriend
- Grocer Joe Cantor dies at 88
- Door openers being used to break into garages, police warn
- Province formally opens Mental Health Crisis Response Centre
- Hailstorm wreaks havoc on Winnipeg garden centre
- New rules let customers cancel phone contracts without penalty after two years
- App could give Winnipeggers chance to report bad parking, get paid
- At 55, I'm wise to what's real in life
- MTS to sell Allstream to Egyptian investment group, focus on Manitoba market
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is be a Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscriber to join the conversation and give your feedback.
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is be a Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscriber to join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
Have Your Say
Comments are open to Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscribers only. why?
Login SubscribeHave Your Say
Comments are open to Winnipeg Free Press Subscribers only. why?
SubscribeThe Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.