Wasaya Group to help tourist camps

Thursday October 1, 2009

Wsaya Group Inc. is looking to step in and provide services to First Nation-owned tourist camps after the Northern Ontario Native Tourism Association folded.

October 1, 2009: Volume 36 #20, Page A1

“Since NONTA went under, Wasaya has been approached by different camp operators,” said Tom Kamenawatamin, president and CEO of Wasaya Group Inc. “How can we assist them?”

Kamenawatamin said Wasaya is currently working on a business plan and expects to be ready to provide services for the 2010 tourist season.

“We are looking at cutting back on the costs NONTA was charging to the camp owners,” Kamenawatamin said. “That was the big cost for the owners.”

Kamenawatamin said Wasaya would be able to provide a number of different options for the camp owners in the communities they serve through the new business plan, such as the ability to fly tourists in from anywhere in North America, the availability of float planes for flying tourists to and from outpost camps, the capacity to supply fuel and gasoline through Wasaya Petroleum LP, and the potential of providing groceries and other supplies through Wasaya’s Buying Group Partnership.

Kamenawatamin said Wasaya would also be able to assist the camp operators to access financing for camp upgrades.

“Wasaya is in a position to provide all these services to help the camp operators,” Kamenawatamin said. “But the camps have to operate as a business.”

Kamenawatamin said 20 camp operators are currently participating in the planning process.

Wasaya wants to pick up where NONTA left off

These include about 90 per cent of the camps in Wasaya communities and Wasaya is also talking with a number of other camp operators.

“We are assessing some of the camps,” Kamenawatamin said. “We will be assessing more of the camps to look at the shape of their equipment and cabins. Some might need to be renovated and upgraded. (We’re) trying to put a cost to that.”

Kamenawatamin said Wasaya is looking to substantially increase the annual number of tourists from what NONTA used to bring in.

“The numbers we are aiming for is 1,000 tourists,” Kamenawatamin said. “We feel we can accomplish that. Wasaya is in a good position to pick up from where NONTA left off and improve on that. One of the reasons we feel confident is Wasaya has the right equipment.”

Kamenawatamin said one of the goals of the new business plan is to increase profit margins for the camp operators.

“They like our one stop shop,” Kamenawatamin said. “We have everything to make it work.”

Kamenawatamin said Wasaya used to fly some of NONTA’s tourist customers up to the tourist camps in their service communities before NONTA folded operations.

“Some of them would drive to Thunder Bay and we would fly them out at 5 a.m. to the camps so they were fishing by 9 a.m.,” Kamenawatamin said. “They would drive all night. We took off at 5 a.m., and there was a float plane waiting for them to drop them off at their fishing camp.”