Tourism springboard to business startup.

• Author: Ross, Ian
• Position: Parry Sound

Reviving the storied name of Georgian Bay Airways has proven to be a winner for Keith and Nicole Saulnier.

The young couple began operating a Parry Sound air charter and sightseeing business last December, flying a DeHaviland Beaver and a Cessna 180 float plane out of their waterfront base, nestled just behind the Island Queen boat tours at the town dock.

"Since we've restarted the name everybody has such fond memories of it," says Keith of the well-known air charter service that flourished from 1947 to the early 1980s.

The two are licensed pilots and graduates of Confederation College's flight-management program. They bought the dockside property formerly occupied by 30,000 Island Air where Nicole was previously employed as chief pilot and operations manager.

They kept the popular tours of the islands, the fly-in fishing charters and the fly-and-dine packages going. But they also introduced some new ideas, putting together a fly-and-ATV package with Bear Claw Tours and making renovations to their dock front building to include an ice cream parlour and an aviation gift shop.

Judging by the crowds queued up for ice cream on the Victoria Day weekend and the thriving charter business catering to foreign visitors from Holland, Germany and China, their acquisition is paying off.

A tourism revitalization effort is underway in Parry Sound with new businesses springing up combined with major municipal and senior government investments being made. One such investment is in the construction of the Charles W. Stockey Centre for the Performing Arts, a new transient marina and ongoing waterfront development.

"Parry Sound has unlimited potential," says Keith, a native of Ignace, in northwestern Ontario. "It's just gorgeous here and the place is just vibrating with potential. It's a great little town."

"I think tourism is really going to take off here. It's just sitting here waiting to happen."

Tourism is one of the strongest contributors to the West Parry Sound economic base.

According to figures compiled by the Parry Sound Area Community Business and Development Centre, area municipalities take in an estimated $60.2 million a year in tourism spending from seasonal cottagers, cottage renters, overnight hotel guests, campers, transient boaters and day tippers.

The retail and accommodations sectors alone represent almost 40 per cent of the area's workforce, employing 1,129 people (20 per cent) and 1,114 employees (18 per cent) respectively.

The Georgian...