The first promotional pamphlet issued by the new Discovery 91原创 City marketing agency includes a list of the 鈥淭op 10 things鈥� to see and do in the City, ranging from well-established attractions like the Cascades Casino to newer draws like Penzer Parkour Park, and the still-under-development Mural Walk.

The colourful pamphlets, which arrived from the printers last week, are the first tourism promotion undertaken by the new agency, which was created after the City left a joint marketing arrangement with 91原创 Township last year.

It is the first time there has been a tourism promotion that was exclusively devoted to 91原创 City attractions, said Discover 91原创 City operations manager Melissa Phillips.

The goal of the pamphlet and list was to 鈥渉ighlight some of the hidden gems that people are still learning about with the City鈥� Phillips said.

The list of top attractions was part of a keep-it-simple approach to give would-be visitors an idea of the wide range of things to see and do in 91原创 City.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a stepping stone,鈥� Phillips said.

鈥淲e didn鈥檛 want to put too much on there.鈥�

The 鈥淭op 10鈥� list in the pamphlet includes the Penzer Parkour Park, described as a 鈥�10,000 sq. ft. outdoor park full of bike jumps, walls, drops and skateboard tracks for all levels,鈥� Sendall Gardens and Brydon Lagoon, which are listed together as 鈥渂eautiful botanical gardens featuring three acres of nature trails, duck ponds and a seasonal tropical greenhouse,鈥� the Al Anderson Memorial Pool (鈥渂est outdoor, summer swimming fun in the Fraser Valley鈥�), the many walking trails in the City, Douglas Park, McBurney Plaza, the 鈥渦nique shopping and eateries鈥� offered by the City, and the Cascades Casino.

The list also include a Mural Walk, a 鈥渘ew product that we鈥檙e working on right now,鈥� Phillips said.

The Walk will feature a self-guided tour of murals created by local artists, some of which are still being worked on, Phillips said.

The top 10 list includes Newlands Golf Course, a world-class facility which many people don鈥檛 realize is in the City, Phillips noted.

鈥淲e were proud to be able to be able to put in the golf course that鈥檚 technically on the city side,鈥� Phillips said.

The pamphlet includes a birds-eye view of the city that showcases the sites of indoor and outdoor attractions.

It also lists signature events like the McBurney Plaza summer series and the Arts Alive festival.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a brand-new place to start to get us on the map鈥� Phillips said.

Other lists can be veiwed on the website.

The website lays claim to the title of 鈥渢ruly the hub of the Fraser Valley, surrounded by nature in an urban city center鈥� for the City, with suggested daily itineraries, five 鈥� best bets鈥� for visitors and a list of summertime events.

Discover 91原创 City was created after the City and the Township split over the administration of Tourism 91原创, the agency that used to represent both municipalities.

The City鈥檚 decision to separate itself from Tourism 91原创 came after several months of discord.

In December 2016, Tourism 91原创 executive director Deborah Kulchiski resigned as the Township considered departure from the destination marketing organization.

In February, the board called a special meeting to vote on dissolution of the organization, following a list of demands from the Township of 91原创 that the board felt was excessive.

The Tourism 91原创 membership voted to keep the organization going, but the following day, the City of 91原创 announced plans to explore alternative tourism models.

In March, Tourism 91原创 chair Teri James, treasurer Karen Long and director Lynn Whitehouse resigned from the organization.

When 91原创 City announced it was leaving Tourism 91原创, the press release stated that 鈥�91原创 City, in consultation with 91原创 City tourism industry stakeholders, has concluded that it is in the best interest of its tourism stakeholders to create a new Tourism 91原创 City entity to serve as the tourism Destination Marketing Organization for the community, and that its functions and services be delivered through a new service provider.鈥�

The Township responded with an announcement that it was 鈥減leased to continue working with Tourism 91原创 to promote the municipality and show visitors from across B.C. and around the world what its 120,000 residents already know.鈥�

dan.ferguson@langleytimes.com
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