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WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNE$DAY, OCTOPER 14, 1987, PAGE 3 Strategy made to promote Durham Region touri;m FROM PAGE 1 municating what Durham Region is," said Gould. "People rarely say they will go to Durham for a day." He noted that many residents whose lives "revolve around the 401 corridor" are unaware that there is "life north of Taunton Rd." He told those in attendance that Durham did not need a Canada's Wonderland to attract tourists sin- ce the smaller attractions in Durham "all add up." He pointed to the success of the Stratford Festival as an example of what could be accomplished in a smaller community. But he emphasized that change won't occur "overnight" because of the new TADR. The key, he said,-is "people" and not money to inject interest in Durham tourism. He cited the "memory factor" -people remnembering what they experien- ced good or bad, when they go to an attraction, as an important factor in bringing back visitors. Gould said the objective of TADR, which aims to be self- supporting with some assistance from the Ministry, is to "get more people here" and have them spend money. "And then we want them to go home - to tell their family and friends about the good time they spent here." Mike Ruby, a tourism industry consultant from the Ministry of Tourism, said friends and relatives of residents make up many of the visitors to an area's local attrac- tions. Gould and the steering commit- tee had expected as many as 400 to attend last week's meeting. But Ruby described the turnout as "good" éompared to a similar, previous meeting attended by one a dozen people. Also selected last week was a TADR board. At a future meeting, an executive will be formed from the board which consists of the following members: Judy Gibbens of the Whitby Information Centre, Michell Henderson of the Holiday Inn, Martha-Anne Rankine of Parkwood, Wendy Orton of Infor- mation Oshawa, Margaret Greenley of Durham College, Leslie Pontell of the Bowmanville Zoo, Max Reiman of a marina in Beaverton, Ed Chamberlain of Brock Amusement Parks, Don Frise of the Oshawa Chamber of Commerce, Robyn Jones of Mc- Donald's Restaurants, Donna Taylor of the Port of Oshawa, Len Green of Scugog Shores Museum, Haugens BBQ Chicken of Man- chester and Gould. A representative of the Durham Region Anglers and Charter Boat Association was also informed that the association could join TADR. Town wants designation of Whitby tourist centre Whitby's tourist information cen- tre should be designated as an On- tario Tourist-Centre in Durham Region, says Whitby's marketing andieconomic development officer Jeanette Babington. Babington made the comment in a recent report to Whitby council on the region's new tourism develop- ment strategy. The strategy envisions asking the Ministry of Tourism to establish a tourist information centre either in the Town of Newcastle, the Town of Pickering or the City of Oshawa. But according to councillor Joe Drumm, "the guy must have been blind who wrote this report." SEE PAGE 21 THE 'DISCOVER DURHAM' LOGO Pat Olive, economic development manager of Durham Region, said the Region does "not intend to take the leac role" in carrying out strategy to boost tourism. "The strength of the organization is· you people," he said. "The government role is to assist." He said Durham's main problem is identity since "No one knows where Durham is." A recommended action outlined in the'strategy is to have Olive's department "undertake, on an an- nual priority basis, a specialized marketing and personal contact to attract potential investors" to various tourism sectors such as in- dustrial tours, camping, sports tournaments, natural features, winter activities and heritage in the region. Another goal is to attract small scale hotels, with the establishment of a task force to "generate in- terest" from potential private in- vestors. One of those attending the meeting received applause when he said that the region needed more accommodation space before more dollars are invested in tourism. Another suggested action is the establishment of a marketing- oriented tourism development data base that meets the information needs of potential tourist developers. The steering committee has also proposed year-round promotional activities (also for seasonal operations), a newsletter every three months, a literature "swap" event so the promotional brochures of one attraction are displayed at another, and joint venture printing to reduce printing costs for brochures. 9 iece Dining Room Reg. $1:1,8 19.00 e ic t% bi (Set-ver n<>t infcIldedt I "If yuure not involved with TADR now, get involved," Ruth Burkholder, general manager of the Central Ontario Tourist Association (COTA, told those at- tending. COTA, covering an area from Ajax to Belleville and north to Algonquin Park, is based in Peter- borough and works with eight regional municipalities, including Durham. "You have to sell what you have and sell it well, it's a competitive industry," said Burkholder. COTA distributes 100,000 tourism brochures to each region. Burkholder said in a later inter- view that COTA used to compete with a region's tourist association or chamber of commerce for ad- vertising, but no longer. "We need coordination and cooperation," she said. "Let's look ahead, let's not look at the past." COTA has representation at con- sumer and travel agent shows, does radio and newspaper advertising and has produced a video present- tation selling its area attraction. "We promote the areas where Durham may not be able," she said. Each region has three members on the COTA board which meets once a month. HARDE N 406/ ( e.. Your new Harden dining room Fine furniture . . . designed to last from generation to generation can now be yours. These impressive Harden solid cherry dining room pieces recreate a charming 18th Century atmosphere in your home. Hand crafted and finished to a lustrous radiance. these classic pieces are the next generation's heirlooms. Discover what living with refined tradition means ... visit our showroom today! 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