Online survey to gauge support for winter opening of Bon Echo

Jan 28, 2015

From early May until late October, Bon Echo Provincial Park is a magnet for visitors to the Hwy. 41 corridor and the entire Land O'Lakes tourist region. Then the tourist economy tends to fall into a deep slumber over the winter. Now, through a combined effort of the Township of Addington Highlands, the County of Lennox and Addington, the Land O'Lakes Tourist Association and MPP Randy Hillier's office, an attempt is being made to entice the decision makers at Ontario Parks to consider offering some winter programming at Bon Echo.

“We need to find out first if there is a reasonable demand before we start lobbying and putting a business case together,” said Addington Highlands Reeve Henry Hogg, who is working with the township economic development committee to promote the "Bon Echo in winter" idea.

The survey takes only a very short time to fill out, and is readily available at http://lennox-addington.on.ca/bon-echo-survey.html

The survey refers to a number of winter activities that visitors might partake in, such as “cross-county skiing, snow shoeing, dog sledding, skating, tobogganing, tubing, wildlife and bird watching, and winter camping.

Residents and potential visitors are encouraged to take the survey, which can be accessed through the web address above or by clicking on the tourism icon on the L&A County website and then scrolling to Feature Experiences on the right hand side of the page to Bon Echo Provincial Park, Winter Opportunities.

Lucas Wales, General Manager of Land O'Lakes Tourist Association, said that the Bon Echo initiative fits in well with the desires of tourist operators to promote year-round visits.

“The beauty of the Land O'Lakes is certainly something to experience in the winter, and anything we can do to provide opportunities and get the word out is a benefit for our members and the region as a whole,” he said.