VISITOR NUMBERS are down
-at various places which benefit
from ‘summer tourism traffic be-
cause of this year’s bridge work
on Hwy16,

One’ business, Norther Light
‘Studio, says its ‘rade is down by
abont half since the bridge work

started.

“That’s about 15 parties a day,
It’s: rubber tire traffic — the
= ~ people that. would stop at the in-

- focentre ‘on the highway and ask
~ what there is ta do here,”’ said c co-

‘owner Matt Ehses.

“Local people are still coming
‘and bringing their relatives who’
are visiting here,””

The feeling is that the fewer

‘o£:commerce’s infocentre on the
lighway, the fewer people will
Jeam about the various attractions

‘people who stop at the chamber _

Bridge work
cuts traffic

in the area.

The infocentre is on the ap-
proach to the bridges, making it
inconvenient or impossible for
tourists to stop at because of
lineups and one-way traffic.

Stops to the infocentre average
about 20 a day and there's anoth-
er 18 a day being registered at a

temporary information office at

city hall.

In past years, as many as 60 to
65 parties a day stopped at the
highway infocentre, said chamber
manager Bobbie Phillips.

Skeena Mall manager Lynda
Lafieur, says tourist traffic ap-
pears to be up over last year.

She said the mall is a natural
draw and is far away enough
from the bridge work so as not to
interfere with tourists wishing to
stop. .

They fe looking for a northwest adventure

a IF YOU'VE NOTICED more
.. tour buses in the area this year,
you're not alone,

The motor coach tour industry
has-discovered the northwest and

will continue.

bia is becoming. more and more
known: around North America

destination.

“And, with the Banff, Jasper and
Lake Louise region becoming
more and more crowded, tour op-

’

ing forsomething new,
*“There’s a growing interest in

ing for au experience where they
can hike fora mile and still have
the’ amenities,” says Ginger
Croce of the American Bus Asso- °

companies, in Washington D.C,
“There are so many different
products out there — new ideas
are: being developed all of the
time,’” she said.
Croce’. added that American
companies: are using Canadian
- government slatistics and studies
~Swhich - indicate western Canada
and B.C. are highly desirable
= destinations, ;
- One company developed a new
12-day. circle tour departing and
retuming, to. Vancouver this year
“and sold out its 18 dates in record
times
-Phillip Gordon, an operations
irector for Globus Gateway
~ which sells tours under the name
of Globus and Cosmos in the
United States, Australia and the
* United Kingdom, says its Totem
. Circle Tour has proven more pop-
lar than anticipated,
“Tt was unusual. We started
*~ selling in the UK market a litle

’ time we were at capacity,’’ said
~, Gordon.
“i The 18 motor coaches coming
‘north this year works out to more
=. than 800 people.
-<°* Gordon’s planning to market 25
- coaches on the company’s Totem
Circle Tour next- year.
©? Tls very much to relieve the
“Strain of the capacity on our Ca-
radian Rockies tours,"’ he said.
‘Accommodation is at a
remium even though we try to

aS Rupert gets big plugs

“. QUCH,
coe > “Hard on the hecls of industrial
vs Terrace, the Skeena River (River
' Sof the Mist) carves a beautiful
“valley - through the Coast
:.. Mountains .,...”’
2 That’s one version, albeit un-
attering and brief, of Terrace
given in one of the many guide
books ‘visitors to the northwest
might. consult before coming
‘here. *-
This particular guidebook, the
‘enguin-Rough Guide to Canada
published in 1992, doesn’t seem
‘to-care about a lot of places along
Hwy16 between Prince George
nd Prince Rupert.
And it isn’t impressed with the
Mews from the highway or from
VIA Rail’s Skeena train until the
Skeena River widens on the way
to the coast,
_ As amiatter of fact, this Penguin
publication paves its best for that
coastal city,

and fish’ on the ‘air-in Prince
Rupert, a distinctive port which -
womes aa. an invigorating relicf

all indications are that growth .
That’s because British Colum- .

and around ihe world as a prized -

erators and their clients are look- .

adventure travel. People are look-—

ciation,, which represents tour —

“There's a biacing tang of salt

SISTERS Janina, Adriane and Meghan Johnston were in Terrace recently, visiting friends, While
they were here they stopped in at Heritage Park, and sampled some frash strawberries from the

heritage garden out back,

MANITOBANS Ross Short and his wife Joyce were part of ¢ abus
tour which stepped in Terrace briefly for lunch. Their tour had

just returned from Alaska, and they were now on their way back

to the prairie provinces,

‘our bus numbers keep growing

juggle things around so our
alternalive was to find other
places — Vancouver Island and
the Prince Rupert region,” Gor-
don added,

“People seem to be looking for
natural beauty as opposed to his-
torical and cultural attractions,’
he said. .

Gordon said the British market
for Canadian tour experiences is

“People seem to be
looking for
beauty as opposed to
historical and cultural
attractions.”

strong and that the favourable ex-
change rates of foreign currency
to the Canadian dollar have
helped sales.

One of the’ Canadian companies

after the run of characterless vil-
lages out of Prince George,’’ the
guidebook says.

But Terrace does get somewhat
gentler treatment in other
guidebooks, including another
Penguin publication simply called
The Penguin Guide to Canada.

There, Heritage Park, Northern

Lights Studio and the Bavarian

inn all get a mention, as do the
totem poles at Kitsumkalum,

Native points of inter-
est figure prominently
in all of the guide
books surveyed.

“The Guide to Western Cana-
da,”’ published in 1990, is more
expansive about Terrace, telling
readers there’s a range of
restaurants, accommodations and
recreational opporturitics.

-Herltage Park is mentioned as is.
Lakelse Provinctal Park. |

One -of the more preatigious

’ guide books is the Michelin one.

natural

that supplies tour buses is Charter
Bus Lines in Vancouver.

Gordon Croil of’ Charter says
his company is busy supplying
more and more buses for com-
panies with northern tours.

‘So many offer the same type
of product — the Canadian Rock-
ics is a given — that they’re look-
ing for something to add a dif-
ferent spice,’ he said.

Croil attributed the growth of
the tour business in the northwest

to persistent sales pitches made:

by. regional and provincial
tourism officials at trade shows
over the years.

“Is taken years for people
from Alabama and Texas to real-
ize that Vancouver isn’t in the
Arctic,” he said.

The boom in the cruise ship i in-

dustry has also added to the allure
of visiting “British -Columbia,
Croil added.

“There are people sailing past
the shoreline saying the . next

nN

How others see us

But here again, Terrace ranks a
passing mention.
Fortunately, the tip fom
Prince Rupert to Kitwanga. gets
three stars, the Michelin designa-
tion for ‘‘worth the journey.’’

Fodor's 1992 Pacific Northwest -
Guide mentions Terrace as hav-.

ing a hotsprings complex nearby
and-as a place where there is
good fishing.

- There’s even less of Terrace in
the Lonely Planet Travel Survival
Kit for Canada.

The city rates but two mentions,
one as a place on the way to
Kitimat and the other as a
reference point for Hwy37 North.

Native points of interest figure

prominenily: in all. of. the guide

books surveyed.

Ksan, ncar Hazelion, drew alot’:

of ink and the Nass Valley is also
mentioned several times,

All of the books featured Prince
Rupert, but that’s probably be-
cause the city is the starting — or

~. ending destination .—. for. ferry

travellers to and from Port Hardy

. and the Queen Charlotte Islands.

time, they want to be there, ” he
Said. . . ae

cach person in a tour group

of expenditures.

With. the “amount of tour
buses stopping in. Terrace,
you might think that adds up
to a lot-tour dollars over the
summer.

break or a lunch stop. ;
Last week a Can Am Holi-

stopped for lunch in Terrace
back to the prairies.:

The bus had travelled north
through, Edmonton. *-. “to

ferry to Prince, Rupert.
Manitoba passengers Ross

represents nearly $143 a day.

_. But- that’s not’ always: “the *.
case. Many times: 'Terrace is -
little more thai a bathroom

days: bus with 43, passengers |

before continuing on its way: -

Whitehorse, the Yukon, Fair- ~~
-banks, and then taken the -

and Joyce Short had never

Just a lunch stop

ESTIMATES PREDICT that ©

travel led

They did comment that after
Alaska, the — growth here
seemed very lush...

Though . they would have
liked to stay and look around,

“ Ross.said he didn’t regret his

decision to’ take the bus, and
leave the driving and Tespon-

: sibility to someone else; . -

Doris Dand and her husband

‘Bruce had joined the same_
bus trip because it seemed the -

best way to see Alaska.

“We don’t know anything .
"about. this area,” said Doris,
“Dut it looks very nice and
‘green here.)

From Terrace ‘the’ tour ‘bus :
was going to push through.to :
Prince’ George, .

there, and head to Hinton, Al-
- berta | the next day.

through ; ‘North: |
“western . B.C. before; "and.
“knew little about the area; .- © :

overnight -

Craaea
phuad f

CORRESPONDENCE
FOR THE TERRACE STANDARD

The
Mail Bag

Why fight.

over salvage?

Dear Sir:

Recently the regional district
held a meeting based on Phase
Two on waste disposal.

There were many ‘in at-
tendance who expressed con-
cems against Bylaw 367 —~ no
salvaging at the ‘‘active face’’,

Why, suddenly, was salvag-
ing considered a risk worth a
high fine? The regional district
has offered no evidence or
Stalistics to support: - their
claims. All they had to do was
say it was a risk and thus it be-
came. so, Even our government
shows supporting evidence be-

’. fore making something illegal,

For. the last few: years. many
citizens have been salvaging
‘safely and at-no risk to the
“regional district. — ©. .

“The plan, in an effort to cut

“down the tonnage of refuse,

decrees that there will be only
- two curbside cans to'a” house.

-[) They want the citizens to'pay
“T’ to dispose of their waste: for
‘|. -lack ofspace yet they won't al-
=, low many of us to salvage to

create more room, -
.. The regional district already
"has: the monopoly ‘on the tip-
ping: fees which: will bring in
big revenue to pay for its” own
-expense-and more; -.
_ So why doesn’t the elite al-

< low the riff raff the left overs?
- Ts.-not the -regional . district

employed by the people for the

people? at

“Just as there are. many: who
don’t like to salvage there arc
just. as many whe. do. In a
sense they are policing the gar-
bage. A fine: for picking ‘up
bottles; dolls, and ‘what haves?
What has society come: to
when they. start fighting. over
the garbage? ;

“Mari-Lenne Pierce,
’» Terrace, B.C.

_headgear:

Dear Sir:.

There was ‘quite a bullabaldo
about the wearing of turbans in
the Royal Canadian: Legion. A
vote was taken and the wearing

of turbans was permitted, ]
voted against it. :

“Then'a funny thing happened
on VE Day.”

‘There was. a ‘parade’ held.
They © were ’ ‘conspicuous ‘by
their absence, | as they were at

- the reception held at the Royal

. Canadian Legion. ater, on in

the day.
And J am in complete. agree-
Tent
Graydon’, 8 remarks’ abut -the
second sheet ‘of ‘ice and the
plan for road and strect repairs.

~"There are a lot: ‘more: impor-
tant: ‘things to be‘ done ‘around

“Terrace than a: second sheet of

ice. Money doesn’t grow - on

:,, trees, although, some. think: it
i does, ~ “

lf the second sheet of ice ad-
vocates:want. it badly. enough
let. them, get-out and 1 aise: the

, money on theirowa.: 3):

Don’t expect my tax dollars

» to pay for iti

- Lindsay Burnett,
fon ‘Terrace,’ B.C.

‘Boat man |

“BOB REEDS" is nearly: 80
- Years | ald >

But that is not stopping
him from a big goal.

. He is. building. A plywood
boat . to. sail: down’ the
Skeena’ River, © a

The boat is eight feet ong

and four féet wide.

“Once down the.“ Skeena,

Bob then. wants. to: sail 1o
Kitimat.

‘He. thinks he can be. in

: Kitimat by the end 9 of Sep-

with. -councillor,: Ed ©

4
rd