THUNDER BAY — After a highly successful summer accommodating 17 cruise ships at the port, Embark Port Services Ltd. gives thanks to the province for their support.
With the $25,664 in Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) funding, Embark Port Services Ltd. was able to purchase a specialized mobile baggage conveyor unit and an X-ray luggage scanner, according to Sean Davies, co-owner of Embark Port Services Ltd.
Heritage Fund also allocated $340,764 for KBM Forestry Consultants to expand its hangar facility, located at the Thunder Bay International Airport, to accommodate additional aircraft and storage of sensitive survey equipment
“Getting luggage on and off of a cruise ship when you've got 300 or 400 guests, there's a lot of luggage to move. So, we were able to purchase a specialized mobile baggage conveyor unit as opposed to using a forklift and pallet type situation,” Davies told Newswatch.
“We were also able to purchase an X-ray luggage scanner, which is similar to when you're travelling on an aircraft. All luggage that goes on cruise ships has to be scanned. So, we've got a beautiful X-ray scanner down at the dock which expedites the process instead of having to do a manual search for all the luggage,” he continued.
Davies also noted that some of the funding went to hiring multilingual staff to provide people travelling from Europe with a better shore experience.
He stated that last year, Thunder Bay was visited by mostly American tourists. However, this year the port saw tourists from France and Germany.
“Being able to recruit and retain people that were multilingual to be able to provide the shore experience and the tours that we provide was a key part of being able to secure some of these new ships,” Davies said.
“As a result, when we go to the fort or Kakabeka, we're giving those tours now in French or German or whatever language is required. So, it certainly puts us on the map as a stronger port for shore excursion and the guests certainly all prefer speaking in their own language,” he added.
Thunder Bay's growing tourism sector has been stabilizing since the pandemic, said Thunder Bay-Atikokan MPP Kevin Holland.
“For the city to be attracting the cruise ships into Thunder Bay as another source of tourism has been filling up a bit of a void in Thunder Bay. We've seen the number is increasing. The benefit to the tourism industry is fantastic. It's great,” Holland said.
"It's a real boost to the tourism industry, especially coming out of COVID. It's really important for us to be able to provide those investments like the one we're making today to embark to help enhance that overall experience for people visiting Thunder Bay,” he added.
