Prince George, B.C.-  Today, Tourism Prince George is hosting  what they  have labelled  “Hello PG, Community Ambassador Fair”.Erica Hummel,  the  CEO of Tourism Prince George says the fair  is part of  the tourism week in Canada celebrations “It’s an opportunity   for some of the people in the front lines of the hospitality industry to get to know their tourism partners in  kind of an informal exchange.   So  maybe a student has been hired to work at  a hotel front desk and  maybe they aren’t so familiar with all of the great things to do in Prince George,  so  it  gives them  more of an opportunity to go and meet a lot of the different people in the attractions sector and restaurants.”

The fair isn’t limited to those in the hospitality industry,  it is open to members of the public  ” When we have our  own families and friends visit us, we want to take them around and show them all the great sites, so it’s  an opportunity not only for those employed in  the tourism industry, but anybody who is enthusiastic   in showing people who are new to the town or are  visiting, just all the things there are to do.”

The tourism season is just getting underway  and Hummel says  this may be  a very good  year for tourism in this region “We are actually looking pretty good.  The Province itself had a great year last year and they are anticipating because of the dollar and different political things happening in the States,  they’re  expecting it to be even better this year.”  She says special milestones, such as the 150th for Canada and the 75th anniversary for the Alaska Highway  are also likely to  boost travel  to the region “I think we are going to see some growth this year.”

The other benefit of a fair like this is  sharing the importance of the tourism industry to the local and provincial economy says Hummel “Sometimes I think forestry and mining and all  those other industries, really speak  louder than  tyourism as an industry, so it’s really our opportunity to celebrate the (tourism)  industry itself and spread  the word about the visitor economy to Prince George.”

The fair is happening from 10-4 today at the Coast Inn of the North.