As we continue to read and research for our trip across Canada, I have found communities asking why they should invest in electric vehicle charging stations. One answer is tourism.
Tourism spending in Canada is approaching $90 billion and its impact on the economy is far-reaching. Over 600,000 Canadian jobs are directly tied to tourism activity with many more supported through the supply chain. Many communities depend on tourist dollars.
It seems that many communities have yet to connect to the electric vehicle market. Canada now has over 20,217 plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles.
Today, I found an interesting paper Jennifer Miller, a graduate student in Sustainable Tourism while her paper focuses on the United
As we map out our route certainly we are looking at where the charging stations are. Certainly communities with public charging stations draw our attention. Having convenient locations for charging is another factor.
Like other electric vehicle owners , we are more likely to go for lunch, stay overnight or take in local attractions while we charge up – that is dollars coming into a community.
Campgrounds supplying charging options for electric vehicle travelers also would be very helpful, Wapiti Campground in Jasper Alberta offers ports for charging.
Museums like Canada Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa offer charging opportunities with paid parking.
Many of the charging stations are clustered around urban centres currently, but rural communities could really benefit from putting themselves on the map for EV tourism.
