The Rendezvous Trail 2000 Fishing and Vacation Guide will have more copies produced–and will go out to more places–in order to attract more tourists to the area.
Some 42,500 copies of the free, four-colour brochure–which features maps of the area as well as Fort Frances, Rainy River, Atikokan, Nestor Falls and Emo–soon will be available at sports shows as far as away Indianapolis, Wichita, Dallas, and Columbus.
They also will be sent to “all-Canadian” shows in places such as St. Louis, Milwaukee, Grand Rapids, and Minneapolis. Locally, they will be available at gas stations and hotels across the area.
All told, the brochure, designed by Donna Pidlubny with the help of Dan Parfitt, will be made available at sports shows for a total of 114 days.
“It’s the only piece of material distributed outside the area to attract people to the area,” said Don Cumming, manager of Times Commercial Printing, which produced the brochure.
“I think [the brochure] is very important because it’s the only thing that says ‘Come here!’” he added. “It’s a needed vehicle to attract tourists.”
An additional 2,500 copies of the brochure, which took about six months to complete, have been printed up to accommodate tourists crossing at the international bridge here.
Copies also will be sent to the tourist information centres in Ontario and Manitoba.
Tom Pearson, who owns Camp Narrows Lodge on Rainy Lake and has advertised in the brochure once again, said he continues to be pleased with it.
“The great thing about it is everyone loves maps, and people can say ‘I fished here or I stayed here,” he noted. “It’s a great map and it shows where everything is.”
While many tourist operators attend a half-dozen or so shows each year, the brochure offers them a much cheaper and more accessible way to get the word out as to what their camp may offer.
But operators aren’t the only ones advertising in it. Businesses which offer gas, boats, food, and lodging also can be found in the brochure.
“It’s geared for the tourists,” said Cumming. “[But] everyone benefits from the spinoffs–those who sell gas, pop, and things people might forget, like sweaters.”
Doug Cain, who works in advertising with Pinewood Sports and Marine and also is a long-time director with the Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship, said the brochure has benefited both of these ventures.
“It raises the awareness when so many copies are going out to sports shows,” said Cain.
“At Pinewood Sports, it’s good for us to get our message across to the U.S. customers because we remind them what their dollar is worth up here,” he remarked.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
