Case Study: City of Thunder Bay
Prince Arthur’s Landing, located on the Thunder Bay waterfront, is a vibrant hub of seasonal events, cultural festivals and public gatherings.
As the city continues to invest in placemaking and community activation, understanding how people engage with this space – when, where and for how long – has become increasingly important.
With ActiveXchange’s Movement Data Module, the City of Thunder Bay is gaining actionable insights into visitation trends across the site, especially during its peak summer event season.
Outcomes
- Visitation data: Understand total visitation during the 2024 summer event period and identify which events attracted the most visitors.
- Activity hotspots: Map movement hotspots across the site to support planning for event logistics, safety and infrastructure for future events.
- Visitor origins: Identify where visitors are traveling from to inform tourism and marketing strategies.
Insights
Total visitation
Nearly 80,000 visits were recorded at Prince Arthur’s Landing during the 2024 festival period (July – August), with visitors spending an average of 31.7 minutes onsite and traveling over 45km on average to reach the destination.
Hotspot mapping
Visitation heatmaps revealed concentrated movement along the waterfront boardwalks, marina access points and public art zones which are vital insights for event setup, vendor placement and amenity access.
Event impact
Canada Day alone drew nearly 13,000 visits, highlighting its significance as a marquee community celebration. Of particular note is the consistent turnout for weekly “Live on the Waterfront” concerts, with each drawing around 2,700–3,000 visits on a Wednesday evening.
Origin location of visitors
Over half of all visits (53.88%) to Prince Arthur’s Landing originated from within Thunder Bay, confirming the site’s importance as a local gathering place, especially during event periods.
Surrounding areas such as Oliver Paipoonge (4.19%), Neebing (1.48%), Shuniah (2.1%), and Commee (1.47%) made up a solid portion of additional traffic, reflecting the site’s pull across the broader district.
Visitors from major urban centres such as Toronto, Winnipeg, Mississauga, Ottawa, Calgary, and Hamilton, travelled hundreds (in some cases thousands) of kilometres to attend. While individually small in percentage, these groups offer meaningful insights for tourism planning and funding justification, especially for multi-day events or regional campaigns.
Outcomes
With clear evidence of high and sustained engagement, especially during event nights, the City of Thunder Bay has the insights to:
- Justify continued or increased funding for seasonal activations and infrastructure
- Improve traffic flow, accessibility and service placement using zone-specific movement data
- Shape future event scheduling around proven high-engagement days and times
