With the Canadian dollar so low these days, American visitors are back in B.C. by the droves.
But with hotel rooms in Vancouver costing an arm and a leg, many will be looking for a cheaper night's stay in the suburbs this summer.
That’s a crowd Coquitlam needs to capture, says the city’s tourism manager Eric Kalnins who this month published a travel and experience guide called Rendezvous Coquitlam.
Kalnins says Coquitlam has plenty to offer people stopping by for a night or two as well as for Vancouver day-trippers and sports enthusiasts.
In a nutshell, it isn’t just Ikea.
His 40-page glossy magazine gives a whole lot of ideas for families on the go, couples looking for fine dining and fun and residents wanting to recreate.
From the Coquitlam Crunch to festivals and the French-Canadian heritage enclave of Maillardville, Kalnins packs it in with high-quality photos and tips to get around.
Kalnins, who is on his second year of a three-year city contract that’s funded with casino cash, began the guide last November with the corporate communications team. With the exception of travel writer Tiffany Sloan, the production was done in-house with Ron Kozlowski snapping the photos and designing the publication.
Kalnins said the aim was to capture the spirit of Coquitlam and with lots of colour.
He followed Destination BC’s theme for 2015 — cities on the edge of wilderness — and slap on the front page a picture of a hiking group crossing a bridge over Hoy Creek in Ridge Park, in the lush terrain on Westwood Plateau.
In the two weeks since it came out, 10,000 copies have been distributed — about half the first run — including to key visitors centres such as the Vancouver International Airport, BC Ferries (the Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen route), Osoyoos and Merritt. There’s also been online distribution as 60% of visitors research their trip beforehand on the internet. Still, Kalnins said, when they get here, they want a hard copy of the travel guide in hand.
Locally, he’s had good feedback. “Obviously, we can’t cover everything in 40 pages,” he said. But now that the ball’s rolling, he hopes more advertising revenue will allow for a bigger guide next year.
And it’s currently in the works.
The 2016 guide will focus on the city’s 125th birthday, the BC Seniors’ Games and the opening of the Evergreen Line — the rapid transit due to open next fall and will connect with Vancouver. As well, Kalnins wants a wider lens on Coquitlam’s unique neighbourhoods, like Austin Heights, City Centre and Maillardville, and the ethnic eateries they have available.
Tourism has massive economic spin-offs and he laments the budget Coquitlam has earmarked for the industry ($200,000 a year for three years, which includes his salary). By comparison, Burnaby, Abbotsford, Langley, Chilliwack, the North Shore, Richmond, New Westminster, Vancouver and Surrey have tourism bucks in the range of $250,000 to $3 million a year (Port Coquitlam and Port Moody have no city cash dedicated for tourism; however, Port Moody has a tourism sub-committee).
Kalnins cites the upcoming opportunities that Coquitlam businesses need to capitalize on by offering discounts and other incentives to tourists: The Trevor Wingrove Memorial Tournament at the Poirier Sport and Leisure Complex (June 4 to 7); BC Highland Games at Town Centre Park (June 20); Hockey Night in Canada’s PlayOn! at Coquitlam Centre (June 27 and 28); the Little League Baseball Canadian Championships (July 22 to 29); All Nations multicultural festival at Town Centre Park (July 23 to 25); and the CP Women’s Open at the Vancouver Golf Club (Aug. 17 to 23), to name just a few.
• Free copies of Rendezvous Coquitlam are available at Coquitlam civic facilities or online at coquitlam.ca/explore.
