New Westminster has a lot going for it, and the Tourism New Westminster plans to capitalize on its many advantages.

Susan Millar – Local Journalism Initiative

Gerardo Coro, the Executive Director of Tourism New Westminster, laid out a very comprehensive, well thought out plan to do just that at the Anvil Centre recently. There were many interested parties there, including city politicians, city staffers among others.

Among the qualities that make New Westminster stand out, as were elucidated, include it's beautiful river front; the heritage that comes with being British Columbia's oldest city; its many events and entertainment possibilities; it's high density of artists and art venues; it's great local restaurants reflecting the diversity of the community and a whole lot more.

As the city is dead-centre of the whole Metropolitan area, with five sky train stops to boot, it is a great place for a side trip from almost anywhere in the Lower Mainland, including Vancouver. “Next stop – New Westminster” was one of the slogans underlying their new strategic focus. (The cost of accommodation is also considerably lower than in downtown Vancouver.)

Central to Coro's talk was showing the new website for Tourism New West, which adds considerable improvements to its predecessor. Marketing Manager Jasmine Crisp laid out the new media strategy which is very extensive. Also shown was a promotional video that the organization had made over the course of a year to entice tourists.

The floor was open to questions after the presentation. The low number of hotel rooms in the community – a concern posited by a member of the audience – was addressed by Blair Fryer, Director of Community Services for the City of New Westminster. He assured the audience that two hotel projects are in the works.

Travis Johnson, the President of the Tourism New Westminster, introduced everybody including all the notable people in the audience. He was clearly chuffed by the excellent program that has been laid out.