Manitoulin ferry looks to tourists for growth

The company that runs the Chi-Cheemaun ferry hopes billing the picturesque ride across Georgian Bay as a tourism experiencewill boost its ridership.

The ferry moves passengers and cars between South Baymouth on Manitoulin Island and Tobermory on the Bruce Peninsula. But in recent years, the number of people making the two-hour crossing has been in decline.

The Chi-Cheemaun ferry carried 27 per cent fewer passengers last year, compared with 2005.

A report prepared for the ferry's operator the Owen Sound Transportation Company determined the Chi-Cheemaun is now seen as more of a tourist experience, but it's still being marketed as a transportation link.

"We are ferry operators and we're pretty good ferry operators," said Susan Schrempf, the president of Owen Sound Transportation Company. "But we are not good marketers."

The Chi-Cheemaun has been operating since 1974. At that time the northern highway network was less developed, Schrempf said.

"Everybody was using [the ferry]. It was full to overfull," she said. "Now there are many options, many different ways to get to northern Ontario."

"So we have to stop thinking about transportation and think more about tourism."

Schrempf said it costs about $60 for a car with one passenger to ride the ferry.

Tourist experience planned

In response to the report, the company is looking into tourism packages involving local hotels, Schrempf said. It also plans to eliminate the reservation fee and start a customer loyalty program.

The provincial government spent about$1.2 millionlast year up from $800,000 to subsidize about 15 per cent of the operating costs for the Chi-Cheemaun. That number needs to be closer to 10 per cent, Schrempf said, adding that boosting passenger numbers will help. Currently about $6.5 million in revenue is made from fares.

While the passenger numbers are dwindling numbers on the Chi-Cheemaun, the boat still serves as a vital connection for the southern Ontario tourist crowd, said Alan MacNevine, the mayor of Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands.

"We see during ferry arrival times a fairly huge flow of traffic and we're always interested in diverting them to stop and stay in our municipalities," he said.