Initially slow, local sales for Zodiac boat rides perk up during Step 3

Each day on his drive to work, Travis Anderson takes a look at the number of vehicles in parking lots of local hotels. He likes what he's seeing

It took a lifting of COVID-19 lockdown provisions, but ticket sales for rides on a Zodiac Hurricane 920 that's visiting Sault Ste. Marie next month are finally taking off.

"It was a slow start, I think because when we first announced the venture it was during the lockdown," says Travis Anderson, the city's director of tourism and community development.

First disclosed by SooToday on April 4, Sail Superior Adventures of Thunder Bay is bringing its 90 km/h, 12-passenger, rigid inflatable Superior Rocket to the Sault from Saturday, Aug. 7 to Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021.

The visit is intended to test the waters for a possible expansion of Sail Superior's operations.

Tourism Sault Ste. Marie is helping to sell tickets and is also guaranteeing the cost of the Sault trial with help from Destination Northern Ontario.

By one week ago, 120 tickets had been sold, about half of what local officials hoped to sell prior to the boat's arrival here.

"The bulk of the tickets have been bought within the past couple weeks. It's really trending upward for us," Anderson says.

"Over the last few weeks, sales have really taken off. We're hopeful that with the opening of the U.S. border, that we might be able to attract some people from northern Michigan to come as well."

If the final number of tickets sold is insufficient, the maximum exposure for Tourism Sault Ste. Marie is expected to be about $6,200.

But, each day on his drive to work, Anderson takes a look at the parking lots of local hotels.

He likes what he's seeing.

"Substantially better than they were last year," he says.

"We're hopeful. I don't believe that we'll hit pre-COVID numbers, but it's definitely a positive trend over last year."

Zodiac ride tickets are available from either the Tourism Sault Ste. Marie website or directly from Sail Superior.