EFFORTS BY the Kermodei Tourism Society to promote the area have taken on a more mobile approach.
The society is leasing a recreational vehicle from Nor-Burd RV Sales and Service and society general manager Graham Genge has already taken it on the road to tourist shows in Edmonton and Winnipeg.
With appropriate promotional lettering and art on the sides and back, Genge said the vehicle is paying dividends.
“At the trade show in Edmonton, people were saying, ‘you’re the guy in the RV. We saw you driving around town,’” said Genge.
Genge said the 2003 Ford Sunseeker also sends a more subtle message – that Terrace is an accessible place to visit.
“We’re really promoting Terrace as a destination,” said Genge. “That’s our Number One message.”
With a tightened economy and people staying closer to home, he and others are anticipating an increase in motor vehicle trips.
“The north is already popular,” said Genge of circle route options, which include driving across the northern part of the province or taking the Inside Passage BC Ferries run. “But we still get questions such as ‘is there diesel fuel up there.’”
Closer to home, Genge said the RV will be making trips around the region to various campgrounds, up into the Nass Valley and to Prince Rupert when cruise ships there dock.
“Not everyone goes to a tourist information centre,” said Genge. “So we’re going to go where the tourists are.”
“We want to be more pro-active. We felt that within reason, we should do whatever we can to promote tourism,” said Nor-Burd’s Wayne Braun.
“Something like this is a huge plus for us.”