Tourism PG Provides "Winter Experiences"

Friday, February 06, 2009 09:00 AM

Prince George, B.C. - Tourism Prince George is hoping a new program will help attract more visitors to the city during the winter

TPG officially launched the Winter Experiences Program Thursday with the hope of boosting tourism in Prince George during the typically slower winter months. Tourism PG Manager Michalle Clarke says the three main focuses for promotional packages will be shopping, outdoor adventure, and arts and culture.

"Because we have such an abundance of packages, it can be anything from a couple to a family to individual ventures. It really is very broad, so it allows us to capture a larger market that way."

Clarke says the idea is encourage people from northern communities to an extra day or so in Prince George. Eventually, once the program takes hold in the north, she says Tourism Prince George will begin to broaden the scope to parts south of the city.

"It's an easy pick-up. It's a weekend decision. It doesn't have to be such a long thought or a long planning process. People can get in their vehicles or hop on a train and be here within a couple of hours."

Clarke says success will be measured in a number of ways, including website hits, package sales, and consumer impressions.

The eight-week Winter Experiences program runs until mid March.

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Posted on Friday, February 06, 2009 09:00 AM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: Death to Socialism on February 6 2009 9:53 AM

"Tourism PG Manager Michalle Clarke says the three main focuses for promotional packages will be shopping, outdoor adventure, and arts and culture."

Perhaps she could enlighten us locals as to where/what these attractions are. Costco? Puddle jumping? The Cadillac Ranch?

Posted by: dan on February 6 2009 9:57 AM

Perhaps an increase in winter tourism will mean that the highway plow trucks become more effective.
I saw two plow trucks on the highway yesterday driving on a messy slushy highway with their blades up.
A couple vehicles were in the ditch, and the plow trucks weren't plowing???
Sorry to add this to this news thread. I was waiting for the Friday Free for all but dont see it.
YRB Prince George needs a shake up. They should let YRB Vanderhoof give them a lesson on how to clear a highway.

Posted by: dirtcheap on February 6 2009 10:24 AM

Awesome,DtoS,What a joke!!!!!

Posted by: gus on February 6 2009 10:33 AM

Arts and what??

I think those three are the same as they would be for the summer, with a variation of outdoor application for the season..

ATV/Boat = summer
Snowmobile = winter

Hey, I have an idea! How about a winter activity like hitting a coloured golf ball around in the snow and getting dressed up in goofy costumes and inviting some TV comedy star to the event?

Posted by: Shellshadow on February 6 2009 10:38 AM

Fishing Derby events, snowmobile adventure events, and/or cross country sking events. These are just suggestions on things PG could do to draw some people here in the winter months. As far as arts well pretty near every town and city has there own arts centre "GET OVER THAT ALREADY!!!".

Posted by: dan on February 6 2009 1:39 PM

I like the fishing derby idea. But where to have it?

West Lake was not a good location for fishing, although I believe that derby was fairly successful for a while.

Posted by: gus on February 6 2009 5:02 PM

It was until everyone was sitting in water instead of on top of ice.

"Fishing Derby events, snowmobile adventure events, and/or cross country sking events. These are just suggestions on things PG could do to draw some people here in the winter months"

The tourism promotion is to attract people from the region, not from South Africa. As it says in the article "Clarke says the idea is encourage people from northern communities to an extra day or so in Prince George."

What regional community does not have its own access to those types of activities in the winter?

So, it is shopping and gambling that might attract some that have not been coming here as often as they should to get rid of their hard-earned cash.

Posted by: bitter on February 6 2009 6:03 PM

Do not let anyone walk down George ST. or there will not be any tourism , its that bad.

Posted by: Palopu on February 6 2009 6:38 PM

People from the West and East have been coming here for years to shop. Arrive Friday night or Saturday morning and leave Sunday. Throw in some gambling and a movie, and they are gone until the next time.

Insofar as winter sports go, they probably do more sports West of here than we do. They have the Ski Hill in Smithers, plus thousands of lakes that are much better than the Piss Holes in the immediate Pr George area.

Tourism Prince George, IPG, and other organizations of the same ilk are mainly concerned with job security. ((Their Jobs)).

Remember a few years ago when the big deal was to go to the West Edmonton mall to shop. Seems people dont do that anymore. Its much like fans attending the Cougers games. Over time they lose interest and find something else to do.

Have a nice day.

What a bunch of hogwash.

Posted by: Harbinger on February 6 2009 6:59 PM

Eat here and get gas.

Posted by: The_grandinquisitor on February 6 2009 8:03 PM

They could build dune buggys with protective cages and send them on a tour of the downtown...call it urban jungle tour with all the wild animals and other predators down there.

Posted by: acrider54 on February 7 2009 5:41 AM

Could add pothole viewing, watching vehicles trying to avoid them or crash into them.

Posted by: thereasonableman on February 8 2009 9:24 AM

Winter Experiences Program

- directing traffic around an accident scene

- flagging down someone to pull you out of the ditch

- digging a sidestreet to get your vehicle out of the deep snow

- trying to find somewhere to park that you could actually get out of again

- performing first aid on people injured in highway wrecks, while kneeling in deep snow or slush

I guess some people think everyone in these northern communities around us have an abundance of disposable income. The last time I checked, they were all running (or not running at all) on forestry. The last time I checked, Prince George is faring much better than these other northern communities.