To understand successful tourism, just go to the mall or Disney World. What you will find at DW is major attractions connected by monorail, aerial tram, steam train or boat cruise. At the mall, you�Ã�¢�â��¬�â��¢ll find big anchor stores connected by smaller boutiques. It�Ã�¢�â��¬�â��¢s all about moving people in an entertaining way.
A tourism region like Whitewater or the Ottawa Valley needs the same connectivity to be successful. The old saying getting there is half the fun still holds. Currently, we have mountain bikers, road cyclists, snowmobilers, x-c skiers, motorcycle riders, walkers, horseback riders, hikers etc, etc. What we don’t have is a cohesive strategy to link everyone, hence the formation of the new Whitewater Trails Association. I’s a non-profit group headed by Walter Willett, from Horse Country Campground.
The association’s first priority is to lobby local council to establish bike lanes as part of the resurfacing of Grant Settlement Road, our region’s busiest tourism road. A recent Wednesday evening saw a parade of 50 cyclists out, a very impressive sight.
Why not get involved? The Trails Association needs membership to be effective. Get moving and sign up by contacting [email protected].
Joe
