Region has abundance of 'natural beauty' -- Fricke
Derek Neary
Northern News Services
Fort Simpson (Nov 24/00) - Gerd Fricke has a lengthy list of things to do. First and foremost, is putting up signs to promote Deh Cho.
Fricke, the regional tourism development officer who arrived in August, is looking for input from Deh Cho communities on how to market the region in addition to a few ideas of his own.
Looking around he sees "opportunities galore."
"We have so much more to offer than just the Nahanni," Fricke said of one of the Deh Cho's best known attractions.
There's the Ram Plateau, which is very scenic but not within park boundaries, he noted. Then there's the river systems, the wildlife and the culture. Not to mention the wealth of history from aboriginal, to fur trade, to prospecting, to RCMP, to religious.
"We have a lot of history that we haven't benefitted from to a large degree," said Fricke, who has been in the North for 22 years.
Smaller communities like Trout Lake and Jean Marie River stand to be promoted more too, he said. Promotion is something he can do in person while attending tourism trade shows in the south.
He's also planning to do some work on the campgrounds in the region. He has acquired pages of baseline data showing the number of visitors to Sambaa Deh and Blackstone parks among others.
"Overall it looks fairly positive.... but, boy, we have a lot of under-utilized capacity," Fricke said, adding that he's attempting to gather similar baseline data on hotel stays, airport traffic and visits to tourist centres.
The Fort Simpson Chamber of Commerce has established a tourism committee to work with Fricke in some initiatives. It will be up to the Chamber to help lobby for improvements to local roads.
"A lack of infrastructure has a negative effect on tourism," Fricke said. "The better the conditions, the more we can promote and the more people we can attract."
Another idea he plans to get feedback on is that of a regional festival. It could include arts and crafts, acting, or other types of talent, he said. NWT residents would be the target audience because they are tourists too, he pointed out.
Expanding into the winter tourism season is yet another distinct possibility. He said cross-country skiing, dog sled riding, snowshoeing and snowmobiling could all be developed in the Deh Cho.
"Basically I'm very enthusiastic to get a whole bunch of things started," he said, adding that it may take several years to realize a significant increase in tourist traffic but the benefits would be long term.
Because he's only had a few months to explore the region himself, he plans to spend much of next year driving, flying and hiking.
"In some ways I'm a tourist myself. I will be spending my weekends and my annual leave trying to get to know this region better," he said.
