There is still plenty of room for area businesses to sign up to participate in the Excellence in Gold Country program being run by the Gold Country Communities Society (GCCS). There is also still plenty of time for members of the public to enter the draw for $50 gift cards that can be spent at participating businesses.
The program has been designed to help businesses within the Gold Country region that were impacted by last summer’s wildfires. Up to 50 businesses can take part at no charge, although to date only 13 have signed on.
There are two brief online surveys—one for Gold Country region residents, the other for visitors—and those who fill them out will be entered in the draw. Thirty winning names are drawn each week, with 90 people already having received a gift card. Once you enter, your name stays in the mix until the final draw on March 9; so the sooner you fill out the survey, the more chances you have of winning.
“We’ve had some great engagement on the survey,” says GCCS chief operating officer Terri Hadwin. “In the first two weeks, more than 200 people took part in the survey.” Residents vote for their favourite places to eat, stay, and visit in the region, and Hadwin says that if their favourite place isn’t listed, they can write another one in.
“The businesses listed were voted on at last year’s GCCS symposium, but participants can write-in anyone,” says Hadwin. “The winner in each category will be awarded a Certificate of Excellence at our symposium in May 2018, and there will also be Honourable Mentions.”
Non-residents of Gold Country are asked to fill out a short survey which asks how GCCS can help them plan their next vacation here.
Hadwin says she is disappointed in the small number of businesses taking part so far. “I thought more businesses might be intrigued, but we’ve had a low uptake. We’re looking for businesses that are as geared to tourism as possible, but will accept gas stations, gift shops; anyone who lost some revenue.”
Businesses that want to participate must be located within Gold Country and must have been affected by the wildfires (by road closures, evacuations, air quality, or reduced visitor traffic).
Hadwin says that some businesses are probably still working hard to recover, while others might not be open again yet. “And some businesses are saying about the Red Cross [recovery program]—and maybe about our program—that they almost feel guilty. They don’t want to take away funds from other businesses that are hurting more.
“But they’re not taking away from other businesses. They’re utilizing funds that are available for them.” The $15,000 in funding to support the program comes from the Thompson-Nicola Regional District and the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association, and is designed to help businesses of all types recover from the wildfires.
All participating business are listed on www.exploregoldcountry.com, Businesses can sign up directly at http://bit.ly/2B6BKXr. They can also email geotour@telus.net, or call the GCCS office at (250) 457-6606.
editorial@accjournal.ca
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