Many Circle Tour drivers also 'economic drivers'

Long before Superior Country began marketing the 1,200 "mile" Lake Superior Circle Tour, the trek had already been growing in popularity among motorists, recreational vehicle travellers and motorcyclists. Dan Bevilacqua, the executive director of Superior Country, a member-based, non-profit destination marketing organization based in Nipigon, said he primarily uses the term miles because the biggest demographic of travellers on the Lake Superior Circle Tour is from the U.S. These U.S. travellers bode well for the Northwestern Ontario economy, and Bevilacqua called it "one of the largest economic drivers of Ontario and the north shore." "During the summer months, you could see the influx of travellers that come in and the motels and the restaurants are full," he said. Marketing of the tour involves Superior Country producing the Lake Superior Circle Tour Adventure Guide that also serves as a fun passport for travellers to collect stamps along their journey. "They collect their stamps in the guide, submit a photo of it to our website and we send them their Lake Superior circle tour certificate," said Bevilacqua, adding that the guide is designed to be a trip planning tool that contains information on the communities along the lake. "We print upwards of 80,000 copies a year and we run out every year." The guide is also available online on the Superior Country website and includes a fully integrated trip planner along with the Lake Superior Circle Tour app. Bevilacqua said travellers can filter their locations based on R.V., motorcycle and pet friendliness. "We do other programs within the circle tour like Lake Superior Ale Trail as a way to promote many of the breweries around the lake," he said. "There's also The Java Journey which features unique coffee shops for coffee lovers." Bevilacqua explained how Superior Country relies on several advertisers along the route, and found that was the best way to develop partnerships. "We do a lot of different advertising for our members, whether it's fishing, hunting, and things that don't align with the circle tour," he said. "All of our work towards the tour is a project with its dedicated budget that is primarily funded through advertising." As a destination marketing organization, Bevilacqua says it's their responsibility to build the product required to market, which enables them to approach Destination Northern Ontario and Destination Ontario for additional funding for marketing. "On average, we spend up to $40,000 a year promoting the Lake Superior Circle Tour as a travel destination," he said. This week Bevilacqua has joined a group being hosted by Destination Northern Ontario to travel to Grand Marais, Cook County and Duluth, Minn., to learn how they market themselves as a tourism destination. He said the goal is to strengthen partnerships to share ideas to have more people trying out the Lake Superior Circle Tour.

Sandi Krasowski, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Chronicle-Journal