|
By Marylu Walters
Alberta Connections
If you think going around in circles gets you nowhere,
check this out. Eleven top heritage destinations in southern Alberta
and British Columbia have joined forces to create a circle route
that gets you hands-on learning experiences, three UNESCO World
Heritage Sites, spectacular scenery, and even a couple of dips in
soothing hot springs.
Together they have produced a colorful, informative
map called pathways to past ways that leads visitors
on a driving tour of heritage attractions, including Alberta and
national historic sites, that are within easy driving distance of
each other.
The concept is based on the idea that people who visit
and like one site would be interested in the others if they knew
how close together they were, says Jane Kremenik, regional marketing
coordinator with Alberta Community Developments Historic Site Service
.
You can enter anywhere on the loop and take it at
your leisure. You could tour all 11 sites in and where from three
days to two weeks. The map, available free at participating venues,
was put together with the traveler in mind. It opens easily in the
car and fits neatly into a glove compartment. It also includes coupons
for each of the sites and shows the driving distance between them.
We can't keep them the maps on the shelves at the
tourist information centers in southern Alberta. Krementik says.
We're getting calls from all kinds of businesses such as bed and
breakfast establishments that want to stock them.
The map is also getting international attention. Tour
operators from Europe and the United States tell us this map is
very popular with their clients traveling to Western Canada. Says
Kristen Web group sales coordinator at Calgary's Heritage Park a
participating venue.
The pathways partners launched a Web site in
September that includes links to the home page of each of the partners.
Kremenik says the partner's plan eventually to sell package tours
from the site.
The circle could get bigger, she adds. The group is
hearing from other venues that want to get involved in the project.
For information
Jayne Kremenik, Historic Sites
Service, Alberta Community Development, 403-381-5714
http://www.cd.gov.ab.ca/
|
