Planning a vacation? How about staying home?
Tourism bureau touts appeal of local attractions
Let’s say you have some vacation time coming up. Maybe you don’t want to spend a lot of money. Perhaps you’ll consider an alternative travel destination: Just outside your doorstep.
In what’s become an annual tradition, Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island is once again touting the benefits of a “staycation,” getaways, explorations, and adventures in your own city and region. “You become a hometown tourist,” said Gordon Orr, CEO of the tourism bureau.
“Our biggest visitor market is out-of-town friends and relatives. What we want to do is educate locals on what assets we have, so that when people come here ... they can venture out and realize we have a lot of different experiences to enjoy.”
On Saturday, visitors to the Devonshire Mall can check out the tourism bureau’s staycation expo, which will have displays and exhibits offering information about local tourism features. Tourism stakeholders have joined in the expo at the mall every spring for the past seven years.
“Each year has got bigger and better,” Orr said. “It’s an audience of 10,000 or so mall patrons.” According to Orr, locals often take for granted the tourism opportunities immediately around them.
“There are people who live near Niagara Falls, but they haven’t been to the falls in years,” Orr explained.
Three tourism aspects of Windsor-Essex that Orr said he feels have been overlooked or underrated include the network of award-winning winery estates in Essex County, which often hold culinary and music events during the summer. “There are trails and tour options,” Orr said. “You could go to some of them and have a picnic.” The new J.P. Wiser’s Brand Experience Centre, recently featured in the Boston Globe for its tours and tasting offers, is also an option. “It’s one of the largest distilleries in North America,” Orr said. “We have world-class whiskey here.” Point Pelee National Park is considered one of the best birding spots in Canada. It recently received a $5.5-million makeover, including a new observation tower. “By size and scope, it may not be the biggest national park, but it’s certainly one of the best attended,” Orr said.
Coinciding with the staycation campaign is the launch of the tourism bureau’s Official Visitors Guide. Available in print and electronic formats, the 88-page booklet is an annual comprehensive roundup of local highlights including dining, sightseeing, recreation, activities and accommodations. Orr said he’s pleased with the new guide’s “high-impact imagery” and “blog-style content,” and hopes it will bring attention to Windsor-Essex experiences that even locals might not know about. For example, did you know the Best Western Plus in Leamington has an indoor water park and three-storey indoor play area? Did you know you can take a paddle boarding class at sunset on Lake St. Clair through Tecumseh’s Urban Surf Company? Did you know Barrels, Bottles & Brews Trail will take you to 10 local craft breweries and a craft distillery?
Pick up your copy of the guide at the “staycation” expo, or download it at visitwindsoressex.com.