Tourism seems to be at the top of the list in terms of local news as we head into 2012.
To start the provincial government has moved forward on an election promise to legislate that the province's school year can begin no earlier than the Labour Day weekend in September.
It is a move the tourism industry has been calling for suggesting it will provide families an opportunity with another long weekend to travel in the summer.
That might be the case, although for within Saskatchewan travel a long weekend still provides time for a family to get to attractions here with the state of transportation these days. We have a highly mobile population and even day trips are tourism stimulators.
In fact, in Yorkton the tourism sector is heavily reliant on the idea of people making day, or weekend trips to the city.
A look at an article in this edition speaks to the importance of people visiting Yorkton to take in events which are held on weekends.
In the coming months we will see a new snowmobile drag event which will be held on a single Saturday, but it will still be a major attraction in Yorkton.
Cornerstone Raceway is likely to be a busy place race day, and many of those enjoying the races will be from outside the city, and that will make them tourists. They are the people who eat at local restaurants, check out local stores in addition to attending the races, and buy fuel for the trip home. Those are tourist dollars at work.
There is also a new outdoor expo, and a seniors' expo planned for the city.
Again these events will attract people to the city and build the tourism in the process.
For Yorkton weekend events are a cornerstone of tourism, ranging from the annual Spring Expo, to the Kalyana Ukrainian Dance Festival, through to the Sunflower Craft Sale to Grain Millers Harvest Showdown.
The events are what build an important aspect of our city's fabric. They create tourism, and that stimulates the economy, but it also gives residents a range of events to take in. The idea of nothing to do in Yorkton shouldn't come to anyone willing to walk out their front doors because most weekends there is something of interest taking place.
So the current focus on tourism is important given what it offers to both residents and the local economy.
