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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Friday July 11, 2008 - 5 Travel writers invited to tour Oakville during Open Continued from page 1 up compared to last year at this time when the event was held at Angus Glen Golf Club in Markham. The tournament has a rich history, dating back to 1904. This year's competition features some of the best golfers in Canada, such as Mike Weir, Stephen Ames and Jon Mills, who will vie for $5 million US. It is a popular event for golf spectators from across the country, according to Paul. "About 65 per cent of the people come from outside of the immediate GTA and you get a lot of American visitors," said Paul. "There's also people from places like Montreal and Ottawa and points further west and further east, so there's a wide demographic of people who come and watch golf and stay and enjoy the city, as well." Practice rounds will be held on Monday and Tuesday, with the Championship Pro-Am running Wednesday. Rounds 1, 2 and 3 of actual tournament play run the remainder of the week, with the final round on Sunday. "It is dependent on weather and who's playing, but it will be a good turnout," Paul said. "The four tournament days will have 80 per cent of those people." The major event creates a positive ripple effect on the local economy, according to John Sawyer, executive director of the Oakville Chamber of Commerce. "We think it is an important event for the community," said Sawyer, who is also a member of a committee of local stakeholders called Oakville Tourism Partnership. "It certainly gives Oakville international profile, so we like that." Sawyer said that tourism, which includes events like the Canadian Open, injects about $80 million into the local economy. "Tourism is a really important industry in Oakville," he said. "It provides a lot of entry-level jobs for young people to get into the workforce, so we like that. It also supplies senior positions, like management. Events like the Open help brand Oakville." The Town of Oakville is being proactive to make a good impression on its guests. A number of special events are being organized in conjunction with the Canadian Open to expose people to everything the community has to offer. Representatives from various Town departments will also be at the course doing promotional work. "We are inviting travel writers from around various areas to come and we'll do a tour of Oakville on the Thursday," said a spokesperson with Oakville Tourism. "We've got the three BIAs (Business Improvement Areas) involved and we're going to take the writers through the various areas of Oakville and then bring them to Glen Abbey to enjoy the first round of the Canadian Open." Some area hotels have been fielding a higher number of calls because of the event. Janet Armstrong, front desk manager with the 70-room Monte Carlo Inn in Oakville, said she is happy that the Canadian Open is back in town for the first time since 2004. "Capacity is up by about 30 per cent (for that week)," Armstrong said. "More are coming from outside the GTA and the province, as well. We're going to be sold out (for the tournament on Thursday to Sunday)." While numbers of rooms being booked by Canadian Open spectators is noticeable, reservations made by golfers and their entourage at some host hotels, like Holiday Inn Select Oakville at Bronte are lower than expected. As one of the host hotels for the Canadian Open, Holiday Inn Select Oakville at Bronte has set aside a block of 144 rooms per night for the week for participating golfers and staff of the Royal Canadian Golf Association. However, management has been releasing rooms from that block due to a low number of bookings among those designated guests. "My total room nights is bordering on 300," said Johanna Redmond, director of sales and marketing of the 144-room hotel. "It has been great, but is it as enough as I had hoped? No. I am getting a lot of last-minute bookings from the RCGA, but hotel people get very worried when you are holding that many rooms." Rooms at the hotel available for the general public, in comparison, have been going quickly. For information or to purchase tickets to the Canadian Open, go online to www.rbccanadianopen.com or call 1-800-571-OPEN (6736). of-Town Servi & O u tce ort p Air OAKVILLE UNITED TAXI Wishing You a Safe & Happy SUMMER! 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