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Travel and Tourism

The tourism industry in Saskatchewan, which includes over 5,500 individual tourism operators and organizations providing services to the tourist, is comprised of eight major sectors: passenger transportation (scheduled and charter air, rail, boat, bus, taxicab and limousine services); travel services and travel trade (travel agencies, tour operators, other travel arrangements and reservations services); arts, entertainment and recreation (theatre companies and dinner theatres, spectator sports); heritage institutions (museums, historic sites, zoos and botanical gardens); amusement, gambling and recreation (amusement and theme parks, casinos, golf courses, marinas, skiing facilities); accommodation services (hotels, motels, resorts, bed and breakfast establishments/vacation farms, RV parks and campgrounds, hunting and fishing camps, recreational vacation camps); restaurants (including drinking places); and select retail operations (liquor stores, gasoline stations, and gift, novelty and souvenir stores).

In Saskatchewan, the tourism industry includes: 128 regional, provincial and national parks; 250 golf courses; 95 outdoor adventure operators; 600 heritage and cultural attractions; 225 museums; 52 art galleries; 6 casinos; 2 spas; 130 handicraft, antique and tea shops; 532 hotels and motels; 142 bed and breakfast/vacation farm establishments; 141 lakeside resorts; and 328 fishing or hunting outfitter camps. There are seven organized tourism regions in the province: north, west-central, Saskatoon, east-central, southwest, Regina, and southeast. There are also six major travel corridors: the Northern Woods and Water Route (Highways 9 and 55), the Trans-Canada Yellowhead (Highway 16), the Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 1), the Red Coat Trail (Highway 13), the CANAM International (Highways 35, 39, 6, 3 and 2/102), and the Saskota Flyway (Highway 9). In 2001, these businesses, organizations and regions supported almost 8 million annual trips to and within the province and over $1.3 billion in traveller expenditures. Annually, 3.5 million trips of less than twenty-four hours are made in the province; another 4.3 million trips of one or more nights are also made each year. These overnight or longer trips are made for a variety of purposes: 42% to visit friends or relatives; 34% for pleasure; 10% for business or convention purposes; and 14% for personal or other reasons.

Saskatchewan residents account for 93% of trips for less than twenty-four hours, while other Canadians account for 4% and United States visitors for 3%. For tourism purposes, the trips of one or more nights are the most important; Saskatchewan residents account for 65% of these longer trips, other Canadians for 29%, United States visitors for 5%, and visitors from other countries account for 1%. However, Saskatchewan residents account for only 45% of expenditures by those making trips of one or more nights in Saskatchewan, while other Canadians account for 35%, United States visitors for 17%, and those from overseas for 3%. Visitors come to Saskatchewan for outdoor experiences (over 1.6 million annual overnight or longer trips) and for cultural and heritage attractions (almost 800,000 trips). Key attractions include: northern fishing, canoeing and winter experiences; attractions such as Wanuskewin Heritage Park, the Eastend T-Rex Discovery Centre, the Saskatchewan Science Centre, and the four Western Development Museums in Moose Jaw, Yorkton, North Battleford and Saskatoon; six full-service casinos in Regina, Moose Jaw, North Battleford, Yorkton, Prince Albert, and White Bear Reserve; Temple Gardens Mineral Spa in Moose Jaw and Manitou Springs Resort and Mineral Spa at Manitou Lake; Prince Albert National Park, Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park, Meadow Lake Provincial Park, and Nipawin Regional Park; and golf courses such as Elk Ridge near Prince Albert National Park, Deer Valley near Regina, Evergreen at Nipawin, and the Willows and Moon Lake in Saskatoon.

Bonnie Baird

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This web site was produced with financial assistance
provided by Western Economic Diversification Canada and the Government of Saskatchewan.
University of Regina Government of Canada Government of Saskatchewan Canadian Plains Research Center
Ce site Web a été conçu grâce à l'aide financière de
Diversification de l'économie de l'Ouest Canada et le gouvernement de la Saskatchewan.