Playing the numbers game, things haven’t been as bad, tourist-wise, as it appears.
“We are up 15 per cent overall, but the summer’s down 12 per cent,” coordinator for the Cowichan Lake District Chamber of Commerce Visitor/Business Centre Katherine Worsley said.
Things were off to a slow start this summer due to the late onset of the warmer summer weather people come for, Worsley said.
“We had less singles, more groups,” she said, of visitors. This could be economic, as people are vacationing in larger groups to cut costs.
The top sites and activities visitors sought out this summer, in order, are;
1) Port Renfrew/ Pacific Marine Circle Route. The Avatar Grove old-growth forest, near Port Renfew, was of particular interest; mainly after July 1, when the government legislated its protection from logging.
“Once they did that, they came out in droves,” Worsley said.
2) The Kinsol Trestle – a large wooden trestle bridge – re-opened this summer, resulting in great interest from visitors.
3) Tubing was, as always, one of the key attractants for visitors.