Can Tourism Save B.C.'s Ailing Towns?
Regional councillor John Koury shares the concerns of Croftonites who wonder whether tourism is the answer to a flagging economy.
All across B.C., former resource towns are attempting to freshen up their image and rebrand themselves as tourist meccas, hoping the jobs and tax dollars will soon follow. If only it were that easy .
It’s odd that there aren’t more tourists in Crofton, B.C. Every building and home in this sleepy hillside town has a stunning ocean view, and Crofton is also one of the only Vancouver Island towns with a harbour deep enough to accommodate cruise ships. True, the main streets are clogged with vacationers every summer waiting for the hourly ferry to Salt Spring Island, but even when they have an hour to kill, visitors are hard-pressed to do anything in town besides grab a cup of coffee or take a quick stroll along the sea walk.
The lack of tourist activity is no mystery to Croftonites; all you have to do is sniff. Perched right on the northern edge of town, the Catalyst pulp and paper
mill belches out a 24-hour-a-day cloud of foul-smelling odour. “It’s a tall
order to attract tourists to a region that has a great big mill,” says
regional councillor John Koury. “There’s not one cruise ship
that’s going to pull up in Crofton right now.”
Save over 50% off the newsstand price with a subscription to BCBusiness Magazine
