As the summer tourism season in northern Ontario prepares to shift to the fall, operators are looking to keep the strong season going. It’s been a banner year for the Heritage Railway and Carousel Company in North Bay. Hundreds of visitors from 40 different countries have taken a ride on the mini train and carousel since it opened in May. “2024 and 2025 were not the best years for us,” said the company’s treasurer, Don Coutts. “But we’re ahead of our figures in 2023 and that was a very good year. So, we’re up above 36,000 rides.” Just like the mini train and carousel, the Chief Commanda II has seen consistent passenger numbers for summer cruises. It still has a month of voyages to go before it sails off until next spring. “International travel is still coming to Canada and the people from here are sticking closer to home for a staycation,” said Capt. Rich Stivrins. Tourism North Bay is also describing the summer season as “consistent between June and July.” Tanya Bedard, the organization’s executive director, cites the Canada Celebrates The FIFA World Cup fan fest that brought in hundreds of football fans for the soccer party, a jam-packed Armed Forces Day and the two-day Bay Block Party street festival rounding out the summer holidays. “We have seen a number of new attractions, different events and that’s always a good sign if things remain consistent, a little bit of growth,” she said. Tourism North Bay is on the cusp of fully launching the second part of its three-part seasonal digital series called ‘Nothing. Nowhere. Everywhere,’ which will focus on fall events in the city. The first video “has seen a national reach.” “The national exposure has climbed to over 180,000 views on YouTube alone in the last two and a half months,” Bedard said. The campaign continues to challenge the perception that North Bay is a place with nothing to do and that is further from the truth. Bedard says the campaign is about trying to attract visitors from the Greater Toronto Area, Southern and Eastern Ontario and Quebec. “Tourism North Bay is going to be hosting the Fall Colour Tour, so that’s in partnership with Laurentian Ski Hill,” she said. “We’ve also launched the Fall Harvest Experience, which is a culinary tourism piece through the Taste of Bay initiative with participating restaurants.” As autumn approaches and winter soon to follow, that doesn’t mean there will be a slowdown anytime soon. “The individual cruises are keeping us busy,” Stivrins said. “We’re looking forward to ending strong here.”
