Group behind geopark hopes to help tourism recovery
Task force want to share UNESCO network and expertise they have, board member says
An organization working to establish a UNESCO global geopark in Niagara hopes to use its expertise to help the region’s tourism industry recover after the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown.
Niagara Peninsula Aspiring Global Geopark is forming a task force led by board member Michael Halle.
“We’re starting a conversation about a new vision for tourism in Niagara,” Hal- le told more than 25 people who partici- pated in an online discussion last Friday to launch the Niagara Tourism COVID-19 Recovery Task Force.
“Since the COVID crisis hit everything has changed … It’s changed everywhere in the world. We know how dependant we are on tourism now in the Niagara peninsula and I think it’s become crystal clear that the size of the tourism econo- my is probably much greater than people who are not directly involved in the industry ever thought.”
Geopark co-chair Ian Lucas said members of the organization are “confident we will be a positive contributor to the tourism sector recovery in Niagara.”
“We’re willing to co-operate with all organizations that are working hard on recovery of our communities,” he said.
Halle said one of the mandates of UNESCO’S program is to create sustainable tourism economies, and listed several initiatives currently being developed to help achieve that goal, such as developing marketing strategies that do not have a typical focus.
The organization has begun working with Toronto marketing technology firms to develop systems to track the tourism sector recovery that could be ready to be implemented by August.
One program is designed to show the flow of tourists through all 12 Niagara lower-tier municipalities as they start to come back to the region.
“This will give us the ability to see how tourists are flowing to each destination, which destinations they’re flowing to and how its changing over time,” Halle said.
Another study will track how visitors rate tourism attractions on such things as use of masks and levels of sanitization and social distancing, while comparing those ratings to other destinations.
Halle said a local marketing firm has been brought in to develop an ambassador program called I Am Niagara.
It incentivizes residents to become “more of a tour guide and a salesperson” by bringing friends and relatives to the region.
“The goal is to build market relationship with the residents of Niagara. Incentives will be negotiated with each of the properties that participate,” Halle said.
Halle said the task force hopes to secure upper-tier government funding as soon as possible, to support the initiatives.
“We’re looking for money that can be deployed to get research firms, so we have road maps to where we’re going. Right now, we’re going blind.”
Niagara Centre MP Vance Badawey said it’s imperative the tourism industry and communities work together “to ensure that the tourist experience when visiting Niagara keeps them here longer and brings them back.”
Halle asked all online meeting participants to get involved.
“We want to share the expertise that we have. We want to share the UNESCO network and methodologies and we want to really get into the nitty-gritty of what your projects are and how they can be enhanced and integrated into the programs,” Halle said.
“We’re anxious to collaborate.”