The Town of La Ronge was known more for tourism in the past than present day. (File photo/Town of La Ronge)

By Derek Cornet

economy

Tourism report shows La Ronge to be a ‘getaway’ but services underdeveloped

Mar 30, 2022 | 5:05 PM

A report delivered to La Ronge council about regional tourism development called the area a well-known getaway for visitors to northern Saskatchewan, but notes services in the sector are lacking.

The report was created after a tourism development consultant initiated a combination of on-site visits and telephone conversation with 25 key stakeholders in the tri-communities. The consultant gathered information from hotel operators, various businesses, non-profits, local individuals and more.

One of the those interviewed for the report was Martin Bernardin, owner of Montreal River Outpost, who said if La Ronge wants to become a tourism hub, council needs to make the decision to become one.

“What do we want to become? Do we want to make ad hoc decisions based on individual issues that come up to council, then we are going to continue to be what we are,” he said. “There’s potential here, but underneath it all we have to decide what it is we want to be? Then we can start working together to achieve those goals if, in fact, we want to be a tourism community.”

The report explains La Ronge is known for lake-related visitation, noting the Lac La Ronge Provincial Park has the capacity to host more visitors. In 2020, there were just under 1,500 camping reservations made in the park with the average stay being five and half nights. That’s up from approximately 1,100 camping reservations made with the average stay being four and a half nights in 2019.

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In addition, there is capacity for tourism operators to host more tourism-related visitation on weekends year-round. There was also interest from nine of those consulted in the non-traditional tourism operator category in developing and delivering new tourism experiences for the traveling public.

“We used to be a tourism community at one time from what I can tell from talking to people and looking at pictures of what this place used to be,” Bernardin said of the region. “At some point we’ve fallen off that trail. It doesn’t seem like as a community we made a conscious effort to change course.”

La Ronge councillor Jordan McPhail also talked about how the tourism industry in northern Saskatchewan, particularly in La Ronge, was stronger in the past than what it is today. He believes there has been changes in the outdoor fishing market, adding there used to be many American fishermen and hunters who arrived during the summer.

McPhail is in favour of increasing eco-tourism to the region, adding for example how the town has made investments through the Boreal Outdoor Recreation Association to boost the development of nature trails within the municipality. He added tourism-related jobs will always be welcome to diversify the economy and job market in the area to help avoid cycles of boom and bust.

“As far as the beauty of northern Saskatchewan, and specifically the Lac La Ronge region has to offer, the gem of the beauty of the north has always been there,” McPhail said. “The people that are coming to La Ronge and living in La Ronge may have changed slightly when we talk about that economy and industries that have been in and around our area for quite some time.”

Read more about the La Ronge Regional Tourism Development Stakeholder Report online here.

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @saskjourno