However, for those visiting the city for the first time in a few years, the city's ongoing challenges in accommodation have become part of the discussion for the 2022 event, as those that were coming to town in some cases had some challenges of their own in finding a place to stay for this years event.
The problem of accommodation long part of the civic landscape for housing has also shifted somewhat to the day to day rental options, particularly as some former hotels such as the Anchor Inn or the Drifter at Five Corners morphed into housing through apartments and supportive housing options and in the case of the Drifter property a homeless shelter.
And while there has been some progress with the old Neptune hotel on Chamberlain recently returning to service as an accommodation as the Ridge Hotel and Suites, the ledger however is still on the side of less hotel space than more.
Those lost rooms have made for some impact for tournament participants and the topic has become a feature item on the ANBT Facebook page, with a number of visitors making note of the issue, some suggesting that the Tournament may have outgrown Prince Rupert and might need to be shifted a bit to the east to Terrace where hotel accommodation is more plentiful.
It's not the first time that a suggestion for a least a rotating schedule of host cities for the tournament has been made, but so far the Tournament Organizers have managed to keep that discussion from any kind of formal action.
The idea of the All Native Tournament being hosted anywhere else but Prince Rupert is mostly a trial balloon it seems from out of town visitors and for most the tradition of the tournament is as much in the host city as it is in the basketball and the social and cultural activities that complement the event each year.
The concerns over accommodation however is a conversation threat that Prince Rupert City Council should take note of, if they hope to remain hosts of the long running event or even attract other large scale events to the city.
There has been little in the way of new hotel development for tourism in the city for a few years now, partly owing to COVID, but even prior to the pandemic there had been little of note in the planning for additional accommodation and other tourism elements.
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| A proposed Modular hotel for Park Avenue in Prince Rupert has yet to break ground towards construction |
For 2023 there may be some relief on the horizon for the accommodation crunch, last year City Council approved a hotel development for Park Avenue, a three story, sixty unit modular hotel that passed through its Public hearing in late July.
However, so far there does not appear to be much progress made in developing the site, a lost opportunity it would seem to capture the ANBT travellers for this years event as well as for those that may be making a vacation or business trip to Prince Rupert this summer.
With some luck, as we move out of COVID, the ability to welcome visitors to the annual ANBT will include the opportunity to showcase some new accommodations for them to enjoy while in the city.
More on the Tournament can be reviewed from our archive page.
A look at some of the challenges of Housing in Prince Rupert can be explored here.
Cross posted from the North Coast Review.
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