The economic impact of the snowmobiling industry in the province of Ontario is huge. A 2005 economic impact study commissioned by The Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC) showed that the total direct expenditures generated by snowmobiling was around $1.2 billion. This includes expenditures on machines, clothing, accessories, and snowmobiling vacations. The spin-off economic benefits created by the snowmobile industry are countless. The many jobs that snowmobiling generates, both directly and indirectly related to the snowmobile industry, stimulate the economy through additional expenditures on goods and services and provide significant tax revenues to the province and a reduction in unemployment and welfare payments.



One of the major impacts of the snowmobile industry is how it positively affects communities that may have little else to offer in the winter months as a result of their geography and location. In some communities, snowmobiling is the lifeblood of the town. Many Ontario resort and hotel facilities, restaurants, service stations, and hardware stores depend on the winter snowmobile business. Surveys show that, on average, snowmobilers taking overnight trips take 3 - 5 trips per year, spending 2 nights per trip away from home. They purchase accommodations in cottage resorts, resort hotels, and motels. Many winter sports enthusiasts find that the best way to enjoy an Ontario snowmobile getaway is to book a weekend snowmobile package at an Ontario winter resort. These snowmobile-friendly resorts take all the uncertainty and guess work out of snowmobiling, ensuring beginners and experts alike a fun and worry-free time on the trails. Many offer snowmobile getaway packages that include accommodations, sled rentals and equipment, as well as trail maps.

Many cottage resort owners on the Georgian Bay understand how important winter snowmobile traffic is to their business as well as the community as a whole. Resort guests inject a lot of money into the local economy, and the snowmobile trails in the Georgian Bay and Parry Sound area are some of the best around. Due to the ideal location, sledders from all over the province travel through the region and stop to make purchases along the way which positively impacts Ontario's economy.

The Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs, with more than 230 member snowmobile clubs, are responsible for maintaining over 42,000 kilometres of interconnected groomed snowmobile trails. The province's trail system is divided into 17 distinct areas. Both the provincial and federal governments recognize the important economic impact that snowmobiling has on the Ontario economy. Over the past 15 years they have invested over $40 million in funding to the OFSC to support local snowbelt economies and to encourage winter tourism.