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(EMAILWIRE.COM, January 25, 2008 ) Lakefield Ontario – The Irwin Inn, an Ontario resort, adapts its current marketing plan to account for the changing vacation trend that many Ontario resorts and tourist properties are facing as the Canadian dollar strengthens.
The news is not good for OntarioÂ’s tourism industry and for OntarioÂ’s hundreds of resorts, inns, and tourist properties. According to a new Statistics Canada report, more Canadians than ever before are choosing to travel to the United States and abroad to spend their hard earned holiday dollars. Released last Friday, a Statistics Canada report states that in November 2007, Canadians made a record 2.4 million overnight trips out of the country, thanks in large part to the strong Canadian dollar, and almost 73 percent of these trips were to the States. Additionally, in the month of November, the number of overnight car trips south increased approximately 50 percent from the previous year, reaching levels not seen since the early nineties. And, if that was not bad enough, at the same time, fewer Americans are heading north to vacation. In 2007, Canada saw a 13 percent drop in the number of American visitors entering Canada. However, the news is not entirely bad since the number of overseas visitors to Canada actually grew by 7.2 percent. As a result of the shift in vacation trends, Ontario resorts need to reevaluate their marketing strategies, especially for their off-season business, if they want to survive.
Over the last few years, there has been a shift in CanadaÂ’s demographics that Ontario resort owners should be aware of, if they want to attract Canadian business to their properties. The tradition of young families returning each and every year to spend their summer vacations at a resort is slowly dying. One reason this is occurring is that CanadaÂ’s population is aging. Another reason is the lure of lower cost all-inclusive sun and sand vacations vying for CanadianÂ’s vacation dollars.
Due to the changing vacation trends that are impacting the Ontario resort and tourism industry, some organizations within this market are taking a second look at CanadaÂ’s growing population of baby boomers and seniors as a way to combat the shift of vacationers. This segment of the population is a market worth attracting because they have both the money to spend and the time to spend it. Retirees are free to travel during the week, and any time of the year, potentially filling rooms during the off-season and slower periods. Leisure travel among CanadaÂ’s boomers has increased by leaps and bounds, and the numbers are expected to grow as CanadaÂ’s population ages. Many Ontario resorts have already realized the potential that the seniors and baby boomer market offers and have moved away from marketing exclusively to families.
Dennis Irwin, owner of the Irwin Inn (http://www.irwininn.com), a popular full service Ontario resort, saw the gradual shift in his market begin several years ago and has tailored the InnÂ’s marketing plans accordingly.
“Along with the traditional family summer vacations with supervised children’s programs and plenty of waterfront activities, we offer a number of attractive year round packages for couples and seniors to rest and rejuvenate or to experience a special activity. Although the reasons people visit the Irwin Inn may have changed over the years, some things have remained constant - the eternal beauty of the lake and our dedication to ensuring a truly memorable stay,” states Irwin.
Ontario inns and resorts have much to offer tourists and vacationers besides OntarioÂ’s natural beauty, abundant lakes, and wilderness areas. In order to compete with U.S. and overseas vacation destinations, and to get back and retain a good portion of the vacation dollars that are now leaving the province, resorts owners will have to proactively attract vacationers by offering them the services and packages that they demand. Success may simply be a matter of knowing the market and giving it what it wants.
The Irwin Inn, located in Ontario, CanadaÂ’s popular Kawartha tourist region, is a perfect destination for couples getaways, family vacations, and seniorÂ’s holidays. For more information on amenities or to book an accommodation, please visit http://www.irwininn.com or call Dennis Irwin at 1-800-461-6490.
Irwin Inn
Dennis Irwin
1-800-461-6490
dennisirwin@irwininn.com 
Source: EmailWire.com
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