THUNDER BAY -- The North needs new people to start fishing and hunting, says one tourism expert.
Judy Rogers, head of Research Resolutions and Consulting, says angling and hunting leads the way for drawing tourism to the region but that demographic is mostly male and aging.
Like any region in Canada, Northwestern Ontario draws most of its tourism from other parts of the province.
With young urban and immigrant populations growing in Toronto, it's a market that the North needs to reach out to but those demographics aren't traditionally big on the outdoors.
"You need to make the environment more comfortable," Rogers said Tuesday morning as one of 275 people taking part in the first annual Northern Tourism Summit in Thunder Bay.
The region should also gear its festival and attractions to its strengths.
"We want people from away, if angling is the hook to get them here then you want to do your best to attract anglers," Rogers said.
Tourism Northern Ontario chair Marty Kalagian said the four-day summit is off to a great start, sold out and features more than 40 speakers.
"Which exceeds our expectations for the first one," he said.
