By Pam Wright
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Chatham-Kent’s tourism industry is on the post-pandemic rebound; however, operators are having problems filling jobs within the sector.
That’s according to C-K tourism development supervisor Shannon Paiva.
At a recent meeting, Paiva made a presentation to council about the industry that brings an estimated $64-million to Chatham-Kent each year.
Environics analytics provided by the Southwest Ontario Tourism Corporation, show that in 2023 Canadians logged 610,930 trips to Chatham-Kent with an average stay of 2.3 nights per trip.
According to a staff report, 92 per cent of those trips were made by Ontarians, yet that’s still down 13.6 per cent from 2022.
During the same time, Americans logged 112,748 trips to Chatham-Kent with an average of 3.2 nights per trip.
However, Paiva said the good news is the municipality is on track to see a 1.4 per cent increase in 2024.
According to Paiva, the keys to success in Chatham-Kent’s tourism playbook are in assisting, attracting and educating both visitors and tourism operators alike.
Paiva said the department markets to both internal residents within Chatham-Kent, as tourism is considered to be anyone travelling 40 kilometres or more to a location, as well as the external market.
Social media continues to be integral to the industry, she added, with specialty videos, webpages and reels garnering thousands of likes, views and followers.
A video on C-K’s Bakery Trail leads the way with close to 70,000 views.
“More than 75 per cent of our travellers are using digital assets,” Paiva explained, when it comes to trip inspiration and booking.
Keeping the photo images local is also key, Paiva said.
“This ensures we can use local photos 100 per cent of the time,” Paiva told council. “It really is our biggest asset. It gives us a chance to show off our vibrant community.”
Some 1,500 professional photos were added to the portfolio this year, she said.
Between October 2023 and October of this year, tourism staff connected with 250 local tourism operators face to face, Paiva noted, and helped them with a variety of educational options including grant writing.
Another aspect of success in the local tourism industry includes nominating local operators for awards, she said, adding there has been high-level recognition in C-K in the past year.
Buxton National Historic & Museum’s 100th Homecoming event received a Lieutenant Governor General’s Award for Excellence in Conservation; the Dresden Night Market was a finalist for a sustainability and innovation award in provincial tourism and Brewfest CK was also nominated as a finalist by the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario for an excellence award for culinary event of the year.
