Reaction at first was mixed to the North Bay chamber of commerce relocating to the downtown from its highway site. President Jake Lacourse says for the past year the chamber has been re-examining its role.
And Lacourse says what it boils down to is moving away from tourism information to being an advocate for the membership. Meanwhile once the move is complete, Lacourse says the chamber will focus less on tourism.
He says 30 years ago, 45,000 people visited the chamber office and now the number is 13,000 and continues to drop. Lacourse says it’s not because less people are travelling but rather the way they get tourist information has changed.
People use the internet more nowadays for their information and some access information as they’re travelling through cell phone apps. The chamber will relocate during Small Business Week later in October.
