PG Poised to Pounce on 2010 Opportunities

Saturday, January 31, 2009 12:31 PM

Prince George, B.C. - With the 2010 Winter Games just over a year away, Tourism Prince George is hoping to see some spin-off in the province's "Northern Captial".

Tourism PG manager Michalle Clarke says she feels visitors coming to B.C. for the Vancouver Whistler Olympics will make the journey north. Clarke says Tourism Prince George looks forward to working with Tourism B.C., 2010 Legacies Now, and the local spirit committee to find ways of drawing people to the region during the games.

"I think people will travel throughout British Columbia, depending on what their schedules are like and if they're going there specifically for the games. They may have the opportunity to go throughout the province. We're looking at sort of taking the opportunity of the Olympics which highlights British Columbia and highlights the north so that we can see that we've got a lot of exposure that way. As far as pulling traffic towards the north, that's a program that we're all working on together."

Clarke says Tourism Prince George is part of the "Share the Excitement" program, a branding initiative put on by Tourism B.C. that allows communities across the province to take part in the hoopla of the games.

The 2010 Winter Olympics take place February 12-28.

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Posted on Saturday, January 31, 2009 12:31 PM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: wrinkledawg on January 31 2009 2:15 PM

Yeah right. After paying exorbit cost just to attend the spendlypics they won't be able to afford to go anywhere else.

Posted by: Andyfreeze on January 31 2009 3:46 PM

When the games are in the Vancouver/Whistler area,why would people come north in the dead of winter?
A great theory and I wish they would, but I think the number of people who would leave the lower mainland and head up to PG would be few.
What would they be coming for...assuming they have any money left?

Posted by: diplomat on January 31 2009 3:55 PM

With the third longest runway in place now at the airport Prince George should encourage charter flights directly from Europe. Tourist could arrive here, spend some time here gambling at the Casino and then take the scenic train tour to Vancouver and the Olympics.

At least they won't get tazered here upon arrival like in Vancouver. :)-

Posted by: Palopu on January 31 2009 7:45 PM

What scenic train tour would that be diplomat. Cn to Jasper three days per week with a 12 hour layover in Jasper??

Nobody in their right mind would come here in the middle of the Winter, and insofar as gambling goes, there are lots of Casinos in Vancouver.

What else can we offer. Minus 20/30 weather. Frozen Rivers, Mall Shopping ???

Posted by: thereasonableman on January 31 2009 8:49 PM

I think we are being sold a bag of magic beans in order to help us choke down the fact that we will be paying for this "benefits a select few" shindig for years to come, even though our biggest involvement was watching it on TV.

Maybe everybody will make the trip to Prince George to see what an interior mill town with no other viable industry looks like.

I hope they make it to Prince George. They are more likely to wipe out on the way here with our "3 days after the snow stops" road maintenance program.

Do these people ever get tired of trying to sell us sh!t ??

I love this area, but no it is in no way anything of a tourist attraction. It is a convenient and cost-effective place to cut trees, and a hub for redirecting and distributing freight and supplies to other communities. That hasn't changed since men freighted goods up the Crooked River in longboats.

The closest tourists get to Prince George is Valemount, and they bypass Prince George, taking the Y5 from Kamloops.

Good luck with your sharing in the hoopla. Get excited and get out your chequebook.

Posted by: lifesucks on February 1 2009 6:44 AM

How can Tourism PG. think that the Olympics highlights the north? The olympics are focusing on Vancouver and Vancouver only. The adds may suggest that but read between the lines. Maybe they will make a trip here to see the fantastic oval skating rink that the city made such a mock of. Maybe they want to see the cougars loose another game. Those are just what all the maybe tourists want to see. Start up another airline to bring the plane fulls of tourists that are going to invade our town. I wish they would stop trying to cram that kind of crap down our throats, give us a break and do something constructive for a change you might like it.

Posted by: try me on February 1 2009 7:31 AM

tourism bc might get lucky recovering money spent promoting pg I don't really think there will be much more then that

Posted by: try me on February 1 2009 7:33 AM

tourism bc might get lucky recovering money spent promoting pg I don't really think there will be much more then that

Posted by: Andyfreeze on February 1 2009 10:14 AM

...poised to pounce on 2010 opportunities...
wow...who dreamed that line up?

Posted by: Resident on February 1 2009 3:52 PM

Why would we need anyone to come here before or after the winter olympics. PG hotels must be overflowing with all the athletes training here in PG for the olympics next winter. Remember how we paid for the mayor and his crew to go to Turin Italy and promote the city and all the propaganda we had to listen to when they returned. Heck, last week I was almost run over by a Kenyan cross country skier practicing on Ospika.

Posted by: tinyapplecork on February 1 2009 5:36 PM

"Heck, last week I was almost run over by a Kenyan cross country skier practicing on Ospika."

hahahahaha

"What else can we offer. Minus 20/30 weather. Frozen Rivers, Mall Shopping ???"

Rarely is it that cold in mid Feb. We have plenty to offer tourists. We see thousands of tourists every year in the north. They come from all over the world for hunting, fishing, skiing, camping, scenery (those trees are big!) hiking, etc... There is much to see and do here. By promoting the north at the Olympics is the right thing to do. Smart business owners will get involved highlighting what they have to offer.

Sounds to me like some of you have forgotten why we live here - pure beauty!!

Posted by: Harbinger on February 1 2009 7:08 PM

Prince George? Eat here and get gas! ha ha ha .

Posted by: The_grandinquisitor on February 2 2009 7:55 AM

A pipe dream, that is what Tourism Prince George is having. What foreign olympic team in their right mind would come to Prince George to train before the olympics when superior facilities exist in the okanagan, kooteneys, and vancouver island? Cost wise it is more feasible to head to the above mentioned and logistically Prince George is just too far away. I trust the city isn't considering paying their airfare or board for them just to be here. The crime, the pollution are just two things that eliminate Pr Geo from the mix.