The boat that has welcomed thousands of tourists over the years will be sold. The amount obtained will be used to make investments on the Dam-en-Terre resort site.
Earlier this winter, the municipal councilor and chairman of the board of directors of the recreational tourism site, François Carrier, had confirmed that the future of the famous boat was more than uncertain.
He mentioned that in the early 1980s, about 19,000 people boarded the boat each summer for entertainment. From then on, there were only about 3,500 of them each summer season, which considerably harmed the profitability of the activity. A decline in traffic has been recorded since 2012.
Several efforts have been made, requests for association, indicated the mayoress of Alma, Sylvie Beaumont. We talked about it around the lake. We talked about it in our MRC . We tried all kinds of things. We have reached a decision that is a bit of a heartbreaking decision, but which is a rational decision, which the board accepts very well.
In addition, the City had to face an annual operating deficit of $100,000 for five years, which was absorbed in equal parts by Alma and Dam-en-Terre.
The City had to pay the costs each spring to start the boat, not to mention the price of gasoline and the salary of the crew when out on the water. The difficulty in finding skilled labor interested in working during the summer period also weighed in the municipality’s decision.
An association with the company Tax-Îles
In return, a new maritime service will be offered this summer to visitors to Dam-en-Terre: the Tax-Îles will allow tourists to discover the islands in the area and the Grande-Décharge river.
An association has been created with the company Tax-Îles in order to enhance the Dam-en-Terre site, explains councilor François Carrier.
It is an inflatable type boat that can take people either in the river depending on the temperature or on Lac Saint-Jean and around the islands. There could be stops for swimming, on the islands as well, he detailed. We want to adapt our service offer today.
Investments from the sale
The beach will again host a slide like last year. A roller track, also called pump trackand water games will also be set up near the campsite.
Other recreational tourism investments could be made at Dam-en-Terre when the boat is sold, specifies Frédéric Lemieux, general manager of the City of Alma.
This commercial-type boat is definitely not sold on Marketplace, so it takes brokers who are specialized in this type of boat, whether in Canada or internationally, a- he indicated. It’s still something tucked away like a kind of boat. What we have in hand at the moment is an evaluation and quality report for the boat.
The members of the town council are careful not to reveal the amount that Alma could obtain from the sale of the boat. From 2012 to 2014, Alma invested $750,000 in modernizing the boat and its mechanics.
The engines alone are worth around $200,000 due to low sailing hours.
Every year, Alma invests approximately $200,000 in the Dam-en-Terre Resort, a quarter of which is devoted to the boat La Tournée.
Based on a report by Laurie Gobeil
Reference-ici.radio-canada.ca