The Humboldt visitor information centre has seen a 25 to 30 per cent increase in visits this year, as people make a pilgrimage to honour the Humboldt Broncos.

“It’s definitely been a positive in regards to the tourism here. Unfortunately it is maybe because of the Broncos tragedy - people are wanting to pay their respects and it is bringing quite a bit of traffic, actually, right through the visitor information centre here,” supervisor Dione Block said.

Many visitors are coming from out of province, from places such as Ontario, Manitoba and the Yukon, she said.

They’re interested Broncos merchandise but also ask about the Humboldt museum and water tower, where to eat and fish, and how to get to nearby towns and hotspots. Some even want to check out the Good Neighbour Store. The campground has also been busy, she said.

Local ball tournaments have also brought people to the area, she said.

The Humboldt area isn’t the only one seeing a boom in tourism, according to a recent Statistics Canada report.

Visits to and within Saskatchewan increased by 9-point-4 per cent last year from 2016.

The national average was just over two per cent.

Tourism also pumped almost two-billion dollars into the Saskatchewan economy in 2017.

With Canadian Press files