An idea of how to better serve visitors looking for information about where to stay and what to see during their stay on the Upper Sunshine Coast is gaining traction.
Tracey Ellis, manager of Powell River Visitor Centre, said that Tourism Powell River had received close to $10,000 for the creation of a mobile visitor information kiosk.
“It’s part of a push to serve the visitors wherever they are,” Ellis said. Tourism Powell River, like many other communities in the province, has, in previous years, hired summer visitor information counsellors. The roaming counsellors spent time walking the region’s more tourist-popular locations answering questions, but this year the program did not receive funding.
With more than 50 kilometres of coastline, in addition to the two ferry terminals and Powell River’s numerous summer events, more could be done to meet visitors’ information needs, she said.
“This will raise us up to another level,” she added. “It won’t matter if it’s pouring rain, we’ll be able to be there and do our job.”
The plan is to purchase a second-hand travel Airstream or Boler, small enough to be trailered behind a car, and renovate it inside, transforming it into a mobile visitor centre, she said. Ellis envisions that it would include an Internet-enabled touchscreen display where users could access information online and book hotels.
“We’re super excited,” she said, adding that they hope to see a quick turnaround on the project and have it up and running by early August.
Ellis said her proposal has been accepted as part of a Destination BC pilot program for creating mobile services best practices.
Tourism Powell River is also looking for community sponsors to participate in the program. For more information about the project, readers can contact Ellis at 604.485.4701, or drop by the visitor centre at 4760 Joyce Avenue.
