‘It’s been a great year for us,’ said Travis Anderson, the city’s director of tourism

There have been plenty of new faces at Stokely Creek Lodge over the last few months.

Close to 3,000 visitors enjoyed the resort’s 100 km of cross country ski trails this winter, during a period when the city and northern Ontario more broadly have experienced a spike in visitors. 

“We have met so many truly remarkable people,” said Deanna Plath, a member of the resort’s new ownership group.

“Stokely has the most loyal customer base you can imagine, with many coming year after year – some for almost 20 years.

“However, this year we had many guests come to Stokely for the first time and we loved sharing our magical place with them.”

In total, the resort had 2,275 overnight stays, including 731 adults, 32 children, and six infants – as well as 750 day skiers over the season.

That positive outlook isn’t limited to the trails at Stokely Creek Lodge.

As more Canadians opt to stay at home for their vacations, travellers are looking north when planning their trips. Year over year tourism has steadily climbed in Sault Ste. Marie, the Algoma region, and across northern Ontario, officials say.

“It’s been a great year for us,” said Travis Anderson, the city’s director of tourism.

“To a certain degree, it’s kind of comparable to what we saw during COVID where you have a lot of in-province travel.

“The geopolitics and the statements coming out of our dear friend over there has certainly led Canadians to limit their travel into the U.S., and we’ve seen the benefit of that.”

Whether it’s the stunning views along Lake Superior, or opportunities to ski, mountain bike, or take day trips like the Agawa Canyon Train Tour, more and more people are visiting the city to enjoy the great outdoors, Anderson said.

Revenue collected from the city’s municipal accommodation tax – a fee on short term accommodations that funds local tourism initiatives – climbed from $1.8 million in 2024 to over $2 million during the past year, with tourism in the city up around three per cent overall in 2025.

That growth arrives as travel from the U.S. remains flat, with last year’s 278,291 American trips over the river dropping 0.7 per cent over 2024 numbers.

In the meantime, the city has found success drawing travellers in from other parts of Ontario.

“We’ve had some success in terms of attracting the southwestern side of the province – people coming up to downhill ski, or snowmobile,” Anderson said.

“Then southern Ontario, Barrie into the GTA . . . it’s been interesting because you get a lot of people coming up, and they’ll spend two or three days cross country skiing with a blend of Stokely Creek and Hiawatha Highlands.”

Across northern Ontario, the story is similar.

Tourism spending across the north climbed from $2.8 billion in 2024 to $3.1 billion in 2025 – a 60-per-cent increase over pre-pandemic years, according to Destination Northern Ontario.

“In Algoma and the northeastern region, tourism trends closely follow the broader Northern Ontario pattern, showing strong growth driven by both domestic and international visitors,” said Sara Currier, manager of marketing and communications.

Close to half of Canadians are “prioritizing travel or other spending,” Currier said, as more people seek experiences instead of material goods.

“Northern Ontario is well positioned to benefit from this shift, as visitors are drawn to destinations that offer unique experiences, natural landscapes, and cultural diversity, all of which are strongly associated with Ontario as a tourism destination,” she said.

Despite the growth in domestic tourism, however, Currier said international visitors still make big contributions to the sector across northern Ontario – with 14 per cent of visitors coming from the U.S., and a 20-per-cent increase in all international visitors year over year, Currier said.

Wherever the visitors are coming from, the outlook is positive in Sault Ste. Marie and across northern Ontario.

“We’re excited about another strong year ahead of us,” Anderson said.

“We certainly see growth potential, and I just think we’ve got a lot to look forward to this year.”