As the City and tourist community grapple with what’s the best way to attract people to visit Guelph, a couple of important questions come to mind.
Why would a tourist travel to Guelph and what would they do?
I recently spoke with a young woman who had just arrived to Canada. She was surprised that Guelph didn’t have any amusement parks. Back home, apparently most cities did. In her mind, that was tourism and it made sense to her. She wanted to speak to someone who could do something about that.
When we travel to St. Jacob’s or Niagara-on-the-Lake, we know why we’re going there and what to expect. They have clearly recognized brands.
Is going to Hillside a form of tourism in Guelph?
Is our new Guelph Civic Museum a tourist attraction? How about Art on the Street or College Royal? Do you have to spend the night at the Delta Hotel to qualify as a tourist?
The Downtown Entertainment District with it’s plethora of restaurants and nightclubs draws crowds from far and wide? Bus are rented to collect folks throughout Wellington County, just to come and have fun on a Saturday evening. Many lucky ones even get to spend the night.
Could this be considered Guelph tourism? ian