12 P.E.I. sites included in new national corridor
Island officials expect to add more attractions to Francophone initiative
Five P.E.I. heritage sites and five Island tourist attractions are part of the brand-new national Francophone Heritage, Cultural and Tourism Corridor that was recently launched in Ottawa. Other attractions will be added over time. The Island currently has 12 but is allowed up to 20 sites.
To become a member of this national francophone Corridor, a site or attraction must be able to deliver quality service in French at all times.
“We are extremely pleased to see that a major portion of the Island’s francophone tourism industry has already been accepted as an integral part of the Corridor,” said Gilles Arsenault, tourism development officer with RDÉE Prince Edward Island. “We still have spots for eight other tourist attractions, so we’ll add them as soon as we’re able to confirm that they meet all the required criteria.” The Corridor is a national network established by RDÉE Canada and its provincial and territorial organization-members, including RDÉE PEI, obviously. In all, the Corridor includes about 130 heritage sites, about 160 tourism products, 32 videos, eight oral archives and 85 panoramic photo displays. Three of the videos feature Island sites; these were professionally filmed and produced last summer. Descriptions and photos of each attraction, in addition to the above-noted promotional material, are compiled on an attractive, bilingual web site at http://corridorcanada.ca.
The corridor offers users an innovative classification system for the level of French-language services they can expect to receive.
“The Corridor is a major Canada 150 project developed to promote the Canadian Francophonie, and it will leave a major legacy for our country’s Francophones and Francophiles. This project acknowledges and celebrates our Francophone heritage, and offers unique experiences and local products. It presents an innovative showcase of Canada’s Francophonie to the rest of the world,” said Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage, during the launch ceremonies.