The Town of South Bruce Peninsula is having a ‘visit responsibly’ promotional video made.
Council approved the staff recommendation Tuesday, August 2nd, to have the Regional Tourism Organization 7 (RTO7) make the video.
The plan is to film soon, while people are still visiting the area.
Recently, Mayor Janice Jackson noted in a letter to constituents the number of tickets for drinking on the beach was up significantly this year compared to last.
During the meeting, councillors noted they would also like to educate visitors about littering, as well as alternate routes for getting to the beach, in the hopes of easing traffic congestion on the main streets.
Council approved the reallocation of $2,500 previously earmarked for the Tourism Innovation Lab Spark Mentorship Program to pay for the video.
A Town staff report notes, Sauble Beach sees over 1 million visitors each summer. (1.2 million in 2019, 1.1 million in 2020 and 1.4 million in 2021).
The report states, “When people visit Sauble Beach it fuels the local economy. When visitors come, they spend money at the town’s local businesses, and have an impact on the entire supply chain affected by the goods and services they provide. It creates jobs, generates tax revenue and drives growth in the overall economy for the town. Visitation is needed in Sauble Beach and we welcome visitors whole heartedly.”
But it adds, managing 1 million visitors each summer can be a challenge. The hope is to communicate and educate visitors about local bylaws.
Staff say Northern Bruce Peninsula recently partnered with RT07 to create a Visit Responsibly Video. They say the key messages there are: Plan Ahead, Tread Lightly, Walk or Bike, Slow Down, Be Respectful, Don’t Litter and Be Safe.
The plan would be to keep the video upbeat and welcoming, but also convey messages asking people to plan ahead, avoid littering, information about paid parking, recreational fires, water safety, being respectful, and bylaws regarding alcohol, no dogs on the beach, fireworks and others.
The plan is to launch the video in early 2023 ahead of the next tourism season.
Council also directed staff to install security cameras at the town square and the 6th street washrooms which will cost an estimated $10,000 for the cameras and related equipment from the Sauble Beach maintenance reserves. This follows reported recent vandalism in those areas.
