Ontario Trails News - Orillia looks at cycling tourism and find your favorite Ontario Trail!

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Mar 15, 2015 | Vote0   0

Orillia eyes cycling tourism

Orillia eyes cycling tourism

File photo

“Orillia has amazing trails,” but needs to develop cycling tourism, Brendan Matheson, of Cycle Simcoe, told Orillia council this week.

Orillia Today

By Frank Matys 

Orillia holds untapped potential as a destination for cyclists and a share of the substantial dollars they bring to communities, council heard this week.

“Orillia has amazing trails,” said Brendan Matheson, of Cycle Simcoe. “They have an amazing network, but they have a great opportunity to develop the tourism aspect, for sure.”

Cycle Simcoe is a tourism initiative that aims to steer two-wheeled enthusiasts onto area trails and into local communities.

It is a countywide strategy involving the Barrie/Simcoe Cycling Club, Tourism Simcoe County and Oro-Medonte Township, where the project was initially tested.

“The goal is to make cycling more safe, more memorable and more fun, county-wide,” Matheson told Orillia council during a presentation.

The cycle-centric group recently produced a map identifying safe cycling routes in the Lake Country region, which includes Orillia.

“Then we sign those routes to make sure everybody knows where they are going,” Matheson said. “The next part is to develop a safety and education campaign to make sure that everybody is riding safe out there.”

Cycling tourism is a lucrative enterprise that brings in more than $390 million annually in Ontario, Matheson added.

More........http://www.simcoe.com/news-story/5476298-orillia-eyes-cycling-tourism/

Ontario Trails News - about regional trails networks and Trailhead North

Trailhead North - a Trailhead Ontario Project

Developing regional trail network can have tourism benefitsLOCAL

Matt Vis, tbnewswatch.com

Area trail development coordinator Kirsten Spence says developing a regional trail network can help boost tourism.

By Matt Vis, tbnewswatch.com

THUNDER BAY -- An area trail development coordinator sees a vast amount of untapped potential in Northwestern Ontario.
Kirsten Spence gave a presentation to the Thunder Bay District Municipal League and said trails are overlooked when it comes to their ability to enhance regional tourism.
“They’re an excellent product that’s already developed which can be used to keep people half a day long or an hour longer in a community, that’s a success,” Spence said.
“A lot of municipalities are looking at trail development as a way to diversify their economies moving from single sector to multi sectors. Trails are one of those offerings that can help municipalities with attraction.”
She said there’s an extensive inventory of existing trails through Northwestern Ontario that can all play a part in showcasing the region.
There’s already evidence showing trails can serve as an attraction.
“You look at the Sleeping Giant Provincial Park. That park has a lot of trails and that’s a large reason why people visit that park,” she said.
Nipigon Mayor Richard Harvey has been working on developing both local and regional trail development strategies as a tourist draw.
Having a network benefits the entire region.
“What people have to realize is if you have one good tourist attraction you’ll get some people to come in for a day,” Harvey said. “If you have attractions through a whole region people will stay an awful lot of longer and that money they spend is not only multiplied, it’s multiplied exponentially.”
Development is ongoing with the Kinghorn Rail Trail, which would use a discontinued rail corridor to provide a path from Thunder Bay to Nipigon.
Spence said the project is a “work in progress” as developers are trying to get it right.
“Most people aren’t going to travel the 111 kilometre trail at one time,” she said. “We have to make sure it’s well planned out in terms of access areas and logical starts and stops.
Harvey sees the Kinghorn Rail Trail, which has been discussed since 2005, as having the potential to be a significant draw.
“That could easily become a world-class trail where people would come from around the world for things like the Pass Lake Trestle, the incredible vistas and views, the lakeside experience you can have on that trail,” Harvey said.
The rails have already been cleared from the trail while the ties are in the process of being removed. There are also a number of hurdles which need to be cleared, which Spence hopes an upcoming Provincial Trails Act will help address.

Tags in this story: LOCAL NORTHWEST 
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We have updated the host site surveys for 2014 and 2015.
If you and your organization wish to host in either 2014 or 2015 please complete the host surveys by November 15th, 2013.
2014 Host Survey  2015 Host Survey

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Cycle Ontario (CO) is a private for profit organization that works to promote awareness of on-road/offroad riding and has created a network of relationships with cyclists, cycle shops, cycle advocacy organizations, tourism offices and cycle tourists. As an organization that caters to the cycling community, Cycle Ontario is interested in your feedback as it believes with some capacity improvements and structural re-alignments it can, and should be, the working voice of cyclists in Ontario. Take the Survey 

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