Bikers provide boost
Digby Wharf Rat Rally pumped $4.9 million into economy in 2017
An economic impact study prepared by the province shows in 2017 the Digby Wharf Rat Rally provided a boost to the provincial economy to the tune of $4.9 million.
While the bulk of that benefitted Digby and southwestern Nova Scotia, the event is important to the province as a whole, say its organizers.
“That’s $4.9 million that would not have been spent in Nova Scotia if the Wharf Rat Rally did not exist,” says Wayne Macdonald, vice-chairman of the Wharf Rat Rally Motorcycle Association. “We have to remember that if riders didn’t have Digby as a destination during that weekend, they could well have travelled to events in other provinces, the New England states or even Milwaukee, which hosts a huge event every Labour Day weekend.”
Macdonald says they are pleased with the economic impact study provided by the province.
“The numbers were what we’d hope for, and almost exactly what we expected,” he says.
According to a media release issued by the Wharf Rat Rally Motorcycle Association, the study consisted of three parts. Staff from the province and the rally co-ordinated survey questions that the province transferred to tablets. During the rally a team of volunteers asked attendees to complete the survey while other volunteers with clickers counted people as they entered specific areas of town. After the rally the information was compiled by the Paradigm Consulting Group and a report was returned to the prov- ince and to the Wharf Rat Rally Motorcycle Association.
The numbers also show that the rally continues to see growth as it enters its 14th year. This year’s rally will run from Aug. 29 to Sept. 2.
Rally organizers say the event draws motorcycle enthusiasts, but it also attracts families and visitors not on motorcycles. Part of the study tracked the total unique visitor attendance last year and determined it to be 21,870 of which almost 18,000 visited on the Saturday of the event.
The rally is important to businesses in town, says Digby Mayor Ben Cleveland. For many it helps to get them through the winter months when business is slower.
Cleveland acknowledges not everyone likes the noise and street closures that come with the rally but looking at the bigger picture, he says, the event has been great for the area.
“It’s not just a bike show anymore, there are so many other things that go on that bring people in,” he says. “It’s a spectator sport.”
Macdonald says preparing for the rally is a year-long process that begins with an annual review of the rallies once they’ve ended.
“We review the rally. Review what was good, what was bad. We review our strategic plan and see what changes we need to make for the next year and hope for better weather from the year before, always,” he says.