Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Fort Simpson (Oct 06/00) - It was another solid summer at the Fort Simpson campgrounds.

Close to 240 permits were issued for a total of approximately 300 overnight stays at the campgrounds, according to Sean Whelly, community business development officer. That compares to 275 overnight stays last year.

"Last year was kind of a high-water mark over the past four years," Whelly said. "Give or take, it looks like the same as last year. We weren't down."

The numbers bottomed out in 1997 at 160 stays.

Among the features that may have attracted more campers this year were the electrical outlets, available at three sites at $20 per night, and the shower facilities. Whelly noted that the additional revenue from the popular electrical outlets may help boost the financial figures over last year's take.

Things could have been even better if there had not been snow in mid-May, he suggested.

"I noticed the numbers were slow getting rolling there for the first two weeks," he said.

Overall, it seemed there were fewer tourists passing through town, but the campground managed to entice a greater percentage of them, he said. He speculated that the higher price of gas may have had some impact.

"I think we had a couple more bus tours coming by, though," he said. "Last year seemed a bit dry... all it takes is one bus tour and you've got 40 more visitors."

Approximately 2,300 visitors were recorded at the Visitor Information Centre. That is similar to last year's figure.