Author Sara Dekker
Posts by Sara Dekker
Continued Growth in Northern Ontario in the Vacation Rental Market
According to recent data from AirDNA comparing September 2024 to the previous year, the vacation rental market in Northern Ontario is experiencing significant growth. Submarket 13A has seen a substantial rise in available listings, growing from 1,429 to 1,571, a 10% increase. This growth is accompanied by a remarkable 30% jump in revenue, from $2.2…
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Need Money to Buy Your Dream Cottage Resort? A CFDC Can Help
In the Destination: Northern Ontario podcast series, we’ve featured southerners who bought a cottage resort in Northern Ontario and have no regrets. After listening to these episodes, maybe you’re ready to make the leap, in theory, but the actual dollars and cents are holding you back. If that’s the case, tune in to Episode 5,…
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Fear and ATVing in Blind River: A Newcomer Family’s Experience
Granary Lake Retreat is a cottage resort near Blind River that is owned by a family of newcomers with roots in Trinidad and Tobago. All of the investors featured in this series are first time cottage resort owners, but you could say that our guest Chris Jaggarnath, his father Anand Jaggarnath, and his stepmother Bettina…
Keep readingThis Couple’s Favourite Lodge Was Up for Sale, so They Bought It
Browns’ Clearwater West Lodge is a special place to Brian Whalley and Aniela Hannaford. Brian grew up spending summers at this hunting lodge with his father, who claimed his site a year after it opened in 1978. After Brian met Aniela, it’s where he took her on their first date. It made enough of an…
Keep readingDestination Northern Ontario Partnership Initiatives
Destination Northern Ontario’s main objective in partnership is to become a catalyst in building strategic alignment and promoting collaboration within the industry. Destination Northern Ontario’s partnership program is extremely successful each year. An average of 70 tourism businesses and organizations have partnered with us annually to leverage our partnership fund by nearly 500%. For more…
Keep readingThe Impact of Sustainable Tourism In Ontario
Northern Ontario’s natural resources are the foundation of the region’s tourism experiences. It is imperative that it receives the very best care from current and future generations to ensure the sustainability of the industry. Taking the first step in creating a more sustainable tourism business can be as simple or as complex as you choose.…
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Great Advice for Improving Your Cottage Resort’s Ratings and Profits
Three years ago, Kate and Rob Harcourt found themselves rethinking their careers and browsing real estate listings, like so many of us at the height of the pandemic. When they stumbled on a cottage resort near Sault Ste. Marie for under $300,000, they jumped in the car the next day to have a look, put…
Keep readingWant to Run a Tourism Business in Northern Ontario? Start Here
If you came across a real estate listing for a hundred-year-old small bakery in a small northern town, or an affordable cottage resort deep in the boreal forest, would you be tempted to buy it? If the answer is yes, then the new Destination: Northern Ontario podcast is for you. By the end of this…
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