The newly formed Delta Tourism board is hoping to put Delta on the map and help local businesses take advantage of the untapped stream of tourist dollars passing through the community.
As the gateway to Metro Vancouver by land and sea, thousands of travellers pass through Delta every day. Tourism Delta chair Kristin Bishop says the new organization hopes to encourage travellers to get off the highway and explore the many sights Delta has to offer.
“We have all these visitors bypassing us, and we want to bring them into the community,” says Bishop. “We have three communities and each has great places to visit.”
In addition to the many local ecological attractions - such as the George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary, Centennial Beach, and Burns Bog - Delta is also home to tourist destinations such as Splashdown Park waterslides, the Delta Museum and Archives, and Delta Force Paintball.
Meanwhile, the quaint shops of Ladner Village and the many roadside farms that dot the quiet country roads draw visitors from across the region.
For Bishop, her favourite stop in Delta is the Boundary Bay dike trail, a popular haunt for birdwatchers, cyclists, and nature lovers.
Sharing these attractions with travellers who might not otherwise leave the highway is a top priority for Tourism Delta, says Bishop.
“Better signage is one thing we are looking at,” she says. A tourist map of the municipality identifying local attractions and businesses is also in the works.
More than 30 stakeholders are taking part in Tourism Delta, including the Corporation of Delta, Tsawwassen First Nation, the provincial government, as well as the Ladner Business Association and Tsawwassen Business Improvement Association, who are contributing funds to our project.
Tourism Delta will be partnering with the Delta Chamber of Commerce, who will be providing in-kind support, and will continue to operate the visitor’s centre on 60th Avenue near Highway 99.
Bishop said Tourism Delta is looking to develop a brand for tourism in Delta, along with setting up an website to provide potential holiday-makers with everything they need to know about planning a stay locally.
“We want to act as a hub within our community,” she says. “We have a lot of great assets and we want to share them.”