[BCMA] Fwd: The Prince George Airport Authority brings Barkerville closer to global community

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Thu Sep 1 14:39:57 PDT 2011


-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	The Prince George Airport Authority brings Barkerville closer 
to global community
Date: 	Thu, 1 Sep 2011 13:57:17 -0700
From: 	James Douglas <JDouglas at barkerville.ca>



_For Immediate Release_

*The****Prince George****Airport****Authority brings Barkerville closer 
to global community*

August 31, 2011 (Barkerville, BC) -- Throughout a tourism season fraught 
with province-wide attendance challenges like lingering winter weather 
conditions, highway washouts, HST referendums, and an uncertain U.S. 
economy, Barkerville Historic Town has benefited from the continued 
support of its local and regional community partnerships. In a 
mid-season message released today, Mindy Stroet, Barkerville's Resource 
Development Coordinator, paid tribute to the various players who 
continue to make the town the high-quality tourist destination that it 
is. As Stroet put it:

"Financial support from organizations such as Barkerville Gold Mines 
Ltd., Scotiabank, Williams Creek Gold Limited, McElhanney Consulting 
Services Ltd.,  and Celebrate Canada has ensured that Barkerville's 
seasonal special events and award-winning educational programming have 
been bigger and better than ever in 2011.

"Print media sponsorships from newspapers such as The Prince George 
Citizen and the Kamloops Daily News help keep Barkerville a top of mind 
destination for travelers at both the north and south ends of 
theGoldRushTrail. Vista Radio's commitment to community enhancement 
allows PG's 97FM The Wolf to keep listeners from Vanderhoof to 100 Mile 
House up-to-date on Barkerville's latest historical happenings.

"British Columbia's Central Interior benefits from more than $15 million 
in operational, capital, and tourism dollars generated by Barkerville 
each year, and,in awin-win scenario, community organizations like 
toreciprocate. Barkerville thrives because of this kind of support, and 
continues to hold its own during a tourism season plagued with 
unforeseen environmental set-backs and provincial visitation short-falls 
precisely because it is a part of such a vibrant and supportive regional 
community."

Stroet added that when it comes to expanding that community to global 
proportions, Barkerville is particularly fortunate to have partners like 
the Prince George Airport Authority.

"The Prince George Airport Authority endeavors to support the needs of 
the Prince George region through community and industry partnerships," 
said Stroet. "We at Barkerville are thrilled to join the PGAA in a 
collective effort to increase awareness of, and travel to, both 
Barkerville and the Prince George area in general."

The partnership referred to involves sponsorship of prime retail space 
within the Prince George Airport terminal itself: space that has been 
transformed from a generic, counter-topped car-rental cubicle into a 
state-of-the-art, Barkerville-themed mini-theatre complete with 
widescreen HD video elements, comfortable seating for weary travelers, 
and a curatorial display of reproduced 19^th -century theatre posters, 
reminiscent of Barkerville's renowned Theatre Royal. This new 
"Barkerville Booth," which softly opened its doors in June, has been 
entertaining a healthy summer crowd of both local and international 
travelers, and aims to be a year-round place of refuge and recreation 
for the nearly half-million patrons of the Prince George Airport, many 
of whom are arriving from, or departing to, international locations 
thanks to the Airport Authority's recent expansion of its main terminal.

This partnership provides ample promotional opportunity for Barkerville, 
of course, but will also provide an opportunity for the Prince George 
Airport Authority to market to international travelers, as its 
international flight schedule grows -- especially from newly opening 
markets like China.

"Barkerville's connection to the People's Republic of China is very 
important and provides a direct link to the citizens of the Guandong 
Province in particular," said John Gibson, President and CEO of the 
Prince George Airport Authority. "Many businessmen and women from China 
are not only interested in our natural resources, but also in our 
cultural heritage.

"Chinese delegations often schedule trips to Barkerville as part of 
their travel itinerary, and these seem to be a highlight for many," 
Gibson added.

Stroet likened this new influx of people from various parts of the 
world, and the resulting impact it has on the local community, to the 
migration that originally populated British Columbia's central interior 
as a result of the original gold rush, saying:

"Like the pioneers who settled in the area 150 years ago, today's 
residents and organizations continue to work together to maintain and 
enhance a lifestyle beneficial to both the current and future generations."

- 30 --

*About Barkerville Historic Town*

Barkerville Historic Town is the largest historic site in western North 
America (www.barkerville.ca <http://www.barkerville.ca/>).  Barkerville 
is provincially, nationally and internationally recognized for its 
historic significance associated with its place in western Canada's gold 
rush era and the role the gold rush played in BC joining Canada.  
Barkerville is widely known as a "must see" for travel itineraries in 
western Canada.  The historic town is also a significant contributor to 
the Cariboo regional economy and is widely regarded as a unique 
component of the regional identity.

The Barkerville Heritage Trust, as Barkerville's operating and managing 
partner, works in conjunction with the Province of British Columbia, the 
owner and statutory guardian of Barkerville's heritage resources,  to 
ensure that Barkerville is efficiently managed, entertaining and 
educational to visitors,  and financially stable as the premier heritage 
resource and tourism attraction for the Cariboo.  The ultimate aim is to 
maintain and enhance Barkerville's position as a nationally significant 
heritage resource and tourism attraction for British Columbia and Canada.

Barkerville is situated 80 km east of Quesnel, British Columbia in the 
foothills of the Cariboo Mountains, close to Troll Mountain Ski Resort 
and Bowron Lake Provincial Park.  The nearby community of Wells (8 km 
from Barkerville) is the service and housing centre for the area 
(www.wellsbc.com <http://www.wellsbc.com/>) and is itself a dynamic 
cultural community, home of Island Mountain Arts, the acclaimed Toni 
Only Artists' Project, the International Celtic Harp School 
(www.imarts.com <http://www.imarts.com/>), the dynamic indie music 
festival ArtsWells (www.artswells.com <http://www.artswells.com/>), and 
the Sunset Theatre (www.sunset-theatre.com 
<http://www.sunset-theatre.com/>). Wells is also situated close to a 
wide variety of winter and summer outdoor activities.

**

*Media Inquiries*

**

*
*

**

*James Douglas*

Manager, Visitor Experiences

and Public Relations

Barkerville Historic Town

Box 19

Barkerville, BC V0K 1B0

250-994-3302 ext. 41

888-994-3332 toll free

250-994-3435 fax

james.douglas at barkerville.ca <mailto:james.douglas at barkerville.ca>

www.barkerville.ca 
<https://mail.barkerville.ca/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.barkerville.ca/>

_barkerville.wordpress.com_

Skype: barkerville.historic.town

Twitter: @barkervillebc

Watch: youtube.com/barkervilletv 
<https://mail.barkerville.ca/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://youtube.com/barkervilletv>__

__

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