By Daina Lawrence
Some Ottawa businesses geared towards foreign visitors are revamping their marketing strategies this fall to make up for the summer’s decreased number of international travellers.
According to Laurie Peters of the NCC, many in the hospitality industry blame SARS, West Nile virus and mad cow disease for the reduction in business. Peters says the NCC “speculates there were a number of factors which had an impact on the international market.”
Tiffany Orpana, activities co-ordinator for the Ottawa Jail hostel, says the slump in foreign visitors has led to some changes, including the cancellation of some activities and more money being spent on marketing.
“We are promoting packages to foreign travellers, much like other hostels across Canada,” she says.
To attract foreign visitors, Lee Frey, executive director of Hostelling International Canada, says his organization is launching the “Freenites and More” program on Oct. 15 as a new marketing tool directed at both national and international travellers.
The program will enable frequent hostel users to collect points redeemable at participating hostels in countries such as England, Portugal and Austria for free overnight stays, tours and activities.
Frey says another factor in the decline in foreign visitors is that most international tourists arrive in Toronto or Montreal, making Ottawa a traveller’s secondary destination.
He says Toronto and Montreal “are our gateway hostels and it has a ripple effect.”
Hostels around the city also saw fewer international guests.
The Ottawa Tourism and Convention Authority’s Martin Winges says in June and July alone, visits from U.S guests were down 8.3 and 12.2 per cent respectively from last year’s figures.
The number of international guests fell 7.2 and 5.2 per cent for those months.
Ottawa businesses are borrowing from other areas of their budgets to enable them to increase their advertising.
The Crowne Plaza Hotel’s director of sales and marketing, Janice Eastman, says her hotel is allotting more money for marketing.
“It’s something we traditionally would not have done,” Eastman explains.
But Eastview Travel Agency’s Elroy Wu says the fear of travel is not one-sided.
His company specializes in East Asian and South Pacific tours.
Wu says people living in the Ottawa area were less inclined to travel abroad this summer as well.
He says travellers are still a little more cautious about these areas following the outbreak of SARS, but adds he is hopeful that tourism will turn around.
“People are definitely ready to travel.”
Wu explains the company is now pouring more effort into advertising for tours to China, Hong Kong and Thailand in the hopes of increasing their business to these areas.