Extending tourist season on agenda: newly formed committee to develop marketing direction for East Georgian Bay.

• Author: Ladan, Mark
• Position: Parry Sound: Special Report - Brief Article

With the summer tourism season about to begin, the recently formed East Georgian Bay tourism committee is already starting to look ahead to summer 2003. The East Georgian Bay tourism committee was set up earlier this year with the help of the Parry Sound and Area Community and Business Development Centre and FedNor. It takes in the Georgian Bay coast from Port Severn to the French River/Killarney area.

Marty Peterson, hired to manage the committee on April 29, is becoming well entrenched in his new position. Over the summer, he and an assistant, to be hired soon, will work on organizing a marketing forum, expected to take place this fall.

"To the marketing forum, we will invite as many (tourist operators) as possible to help develop a marketing identity," says Peterson.

A marketing direction, which focuses on where to draw visitors from and how those markets will be approached from a marketing standpoint, will also be developed in the fall.

"The consultants have also offered to run a product-development workshop," he says. "So, instead of just being a July and August destination, we can focus on different types of events to bring people in the spring and fall."

Another central focus of the committee is to create a "strong identity that is different, exciting and more stand alone than what we've had in the past."

As for new events or attractions, one of Peterson's ideas to draw more tourism dollars to the area, is a driving tour in the spring for people to view Ontario's provincial flower.

"To everyone who lives here, trilliums are just flowers out in the bush. I'm not from here, and I've never been anywhere in the province where there are so many. But they're all gone by July and August when most people take their vacations here."

The main drawing areas for the East Georgian Bay tourism committee will be southern...