Residents play key role in driving local tourism

by Maureen Mariampillai

Windsor residents will play a key role in driving the tourism industry in the region according to a local tourism official.

The number of tourists visiting Windsor has been dropping, especially since the near collapse of the automobile industry in 2006 and subsequent years.

According to Ontario’s Ministry of Tourism and Culture, there was a 12 per cent decrease of same-day visitors to Windsor from 2006 to 2009.

“We need to make sure we keep awareness and marketing right in our own backyard, so we create that positive attitude … people can become advocates in their own region,” said Lynette Bain, vice president of tourism and development for Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island.

Bain said following the highly publicized struggles of the auto industry, people weren’t feeling pride in their city and many packed up and left.

Statistics Canada reports there was a 2.6 per cent population decline in Windsor from 2006 to 2011.

Bain said negative media attention also swayed the opinions of people who live in the region because any time Windsor was mentioned in the national media it was often that another manufacturing plant was closing. But she said that is changing.

“You’re not hearing those same things anymore. There’s promise. There’s positive things,” said Bain. “We’re doing something about it. There’s a lot more pride in the way people feel about where they live.”

One of TWEPI’s goals will be trying to work with different agencies to “provide proper front line staff training.”

“Hopefully that is being communicated and educated with the young people about having pride and focus on youth retention. Because if we can keep people in our area that will speak positively about it, it only helps.”

Debbie LaSelva, coordinator of tourism and travel at St. Clair College, agrees with the strategy and said it should start at the high school level.

“You do often get comments like, ‘I can’t wait to finish my high school and college so I can get the heck out of the city of Windsor.’ So it needs to start in the high schools because that’s where you collect the youth, they all have to go to high school.”

LaSelva said when a student’s placement is outside of Windsor they are expected to promote the city in a positive way.

Akhil Sharma, a third year behavior cognitive and neuroscience student at the University of Windsor said it would heavily depend on employment opportunities.

“As far as staying, I think most likely I would. Unless some job (or) career things happen later on in life,” said Sharma.