Sarah Pruys
Due to the recent closure of the Ontario Tourism Information Centre here, various organizations and businesses in Fort Frances have teamed up to make sure tourists still are able to access information about the surrounding area.
The Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce, along with the Town of Fort Frances and the Rainy River Future Development Corp., has decided to hand out maps of the town, along with the “Discover Fort Frances” magazine, to visiting tourists this summer.
“We want to provide our tourists with information as soon as possible when they get into town,” said Sarah Hallikas, tourism and event co-ordinator for the local Chamber.
“We’re going to have someone stationed at the border to answer questions and direct tourists to the Chamber, the [Fort Frances] Museum, and the Sorting Gap Marina in case they need any more information,” she noted.
“So we’ll be acting as a mini-tourist centre.”
The Chamber has hired a summer student to answer questions and give directions to tourists at the border.
The Chamber office, museum, and marina are marked on the map, along with any businesses that choose to advertise on the back of it.
The position began last Friday, with information and help available five days a week.
“We’ve got a number coming in here [the Chamber office] now that we no longer have the tourist centre and I think they’re a little disappointed that we’ve lost it, and a little confused,” admitted Hallikas.
“[But] they are still really interested in coming, so they just ask their questions here,” she added.
She estimated the Chamber so far has seen about 15 people come in per week with questions. The majority are Americans.
“We are making sure that the Sorting Gap Marina and the museum have all the magazines, along with pamphlets about things to do in town,” Hallikas said.
“The students that are working at the Sorting Gap and the museum are also being briefed on how to help the tourists since we’re going to be answering more questions since we lost the tourist centre.
“We’re putting together a package of information that they can reference when helping tourists,” she added.
“It’s now that time of the year when many tourists and visitors will be entering our ‘neck of the woods’ to enjoy all that our region has to offer,” noted Sandra Whalen at the Rainy River Future Development Corp. office on Scott Street.
“Unfortunately, due to this year’s closures of our regional tourist information centres, visitors will become more limited in accessing information about regional events and festivals,” she lamented.
“Therefore, it has become significantly important to take full advantage of the electronic readerboard at the Fort Frances border crossing to advertise these community events and festivals,” Whalen stressed.
“This free marketing tool can help to get the message out to our seasonal visitors about what is happening in our area and communities this summer.”
The tool is open to non-profit organizations only.
Any group interested providing a message is asked to send detailed information of an event or festival to info@rrfdc.on.ca
