Taylor Green is opening the door to a new brand of experiential tourism in Thunder Bay.
The fledgling tourism operator is putting his 10 years in the hospitality business to good use as the owner and host of Animikii Tours.
While most of the mainstream tourism marketing of Northern Ontario is geared toward remote, outdoor eco-sports activities, Green said there is a segment of casual travellers who want to view the area’s many natural attractions, most of it accessible by car, if they knew where to find them.
In offering between hour-and-a-half excursions to full-day adventures, Green’s developed different itineraries showcasing the city’s historical and natural attractions, First Nations heritage; railway and geological history, and day-tours of the Lake Superior’s scenic North Shore.
“There’s an appetite for the journey as well as the things you’re going to see.”
He also offers more flexible custom charters for groups and corporate tours where travellers can build their own itineraries.
The graduate of the Thunder Bay Community Economic Development’s Starter Company program used his $5,000 in seed money toward the purchase of a six-passenger SUV.
Green provides complimentary pickup from hotels, admission to area parks and attractions, provides lunch and refreshments, to go along with his knowledgeable tour guide service.
His clientele ranges from older travellers with disposable income, to business travellers on layover, to cross-Canada RV’ers who want to see the sights but don’t want to drag the camper around the city.
Since launching in May, he’s admittedly pulling modest volumes – entertaining about 100 travellers this past summer – but he was shocked by the composition of some of his guests.
“It’s weird because I haven’t done a lot of work promoting to Europe and I’m getting people from Finland, Spain and Germany,” said Green.
Considering the huge amount of conference business Thunder Bay pulls in and the surge of American tourists coming across the border, Green said there’s plenty of room to grow.
Born and raised in Toronto, Green spent his summers gazing out on Lake Superior from the family cottage at Chippewa, south of the city.
He was introduced to the hospitality sector while working the front desk at a Banff hotel.
A less-than-satisfying tour of the Columbia Icefield got his mental wheels turning about what he would do to create a more memorable, value-for-money, experience for tourists.
“If I were to do a better job than this where would I do it? My mind immediately back came here.”
Green said the amount of natural wonders – Ouimet Canyon, Kakabeka Falls, Mount McKay – located within an hour’s drive of the city are comparable to other tourism destinations he’s visited in Canada.
And as it turns out, there wasn’t a lot of competition in Thunder Bay to showcase local attractions.
His knowledge of the area stems from his love of local history, a passion he has immersed himself in since he was a boy.
The Thunder Bay Public Library has been particularly helpful in unearthing obscure tidbits of history and local knowledge – such as the location of a black sand beach on Lake Nipigon – which he incorporates into his tour narratives.
“I essentially want to make everything available (to visitors),” said Green. “You just have to know where you’re going and what you’re looking for. That’s where I think there’s a disconnect in the knowledge what Northern Ontario has to offer.”
Next year, he’s plotting overnight expedition tours looping toward the Rainy River district, Sudbury, Manitoulin Island, Temiskaming Shores and over to Cochrane where guests could catch the Ontario Northland train to Moosonee.
He hopes to add an audio-visual component to the SUV next year to make the tours more engaging, and offer him some respite from driving and narrating.
“I’m being admittedly ambitious to try to get people to come to Thunder Bay, and use it as a base of operation.”
Some small town heritage museums don’t always appeal to international tourists, “but with nature, everybody’s interested all the time.”
Always scouting for partnerships to package his excursions, Green has teamed up with Sail Superior for a land-and-sea tour, combining an excursion around the city’s historic Port Arthur section with a one-and-half hour harbour cruise.
“I want Thunder Bay to become what it can be. I’m a small part of the pie. I’m not the whole thing.”
