Hay River (July 14/03) - The struggling American and Japanese economies may be casting a dark shadow as far north as the South Slave.

According to statistics released by the Hay River Tourist Information Centre, the number of foreign visitors in the region has declined steadily since both countries entered economic downturns.

In the summer of 2002 -- the last year statistics are available -- 260 Americans visited Hay River, a 27 per cent drop from 1999. The number of overseas tourists also fell for the fourth consecutive year, down 60 per cent from 1999.

According to many in the tourism industry, the trend is continuing this year.

"I usually have three or four bookings by now... but so far I only have one," said Vicky Latour, who offers guided tours of the Hay River region.

"I think the main reason for the decline is the American economy," said Latour. "I'm seeing fewer Americans than I have in the past."

Roughly 25 per cent of tourists in the Hay River region come from outside of Canada.

Anna Rowe, who works at Wood Buffalo National Park, has also noticed a drop in the number of visitors.

"So far things have been steady, but we're not too busy," she said.

"We're hoping there will be more people at the end of the summer."

Colleen Gagnier of Frontier Coaches said the number of Japanese tourists is lower than in past years.

"The numbers are definitely down," she said. "It seems like people just can't afford to take trips."

Domestic tourism in the Hay River region has also taken a hit. In 2002, 1,500 Canadians visited the area, the second lowest total in the last 13 years.

"Most of those visitors are Albertans," said Latour. "And with the mad cow scare (and the accompanying economic downturn) their numbers have dropped."

But according to Dustin Dewar of the Tourist Information Centre, there's plenty of time for the industry to rebound.

"It was slow at the start, but July is usually a peak month, so it could get busier," he said.