A committee to help increase snowmobile tourism in Northern Manitoba met for the first time in Snow Lake Nov. 14.
The committee includes four task force groups to guide the project of increasing snowmobile tourism in the areas of infrastructure, marketing, product development and special events. Each task force includes representatives from several organizations and communities in the north and they will meet on a regular basis to meet key objectives outlined in a report based on a summit that took place in 2018.
“I am very excited for this project and the impact it will have on tourism in Northern Manitoba,” said Travel Manitoba northern tourism consultant Alan McLauchlan in a press release. “Snowmobile tourism is a multimillion-dollar business in Manitoba and the north has excellent trails connecting our communities. I also want to thank the local snowmobile clubs and SnoMan who have been instrumental in moving this project forward. Without their dedication to snowmobiling we would not be where we are now.”
The project aligns with the Northern Manitoba tourism strategy of getting more people to visit the north and, once some additional trails are created, snowmobilers will be able to travel from the western boundary of Manitoba to Gillam on groomed trails, which will benefit communities, lodges and other business owners.
““This is a good project for Snow Lake and for Northern Manitoba,” said Snow Lake Chamber of Commerce president Gerard Lamontagne. “Snow Lake will be opened up for winter tourism where we had little before. Now we will have year-round tourism opportunities.”
The project, which is funded by Western Diversification, Northern Manitoba Community Futures offices, Travel Manitoba, and northern communities and organizations, will be guided by northern co-ordinator Laura Finaly.
“We are very happy that Laura has accepted the position of coordinator” said Community Futures North Central Development manager Tim Johnston. “She brings with her a vast set of skills which will be beneficial to this project.”
To learn more about the Northern Manitoba snowmobile tourism project or to obtain a copy of the summit report, contact Finlay at lfinlay@northcentraldevelopment.ca or McLauchlan at amclauchlan@travelmanitoba.com.
