Chris Lowrey
PONTIAC June 21 , 2018
Several local representatives were in South Hero, Vermont on June 21 to participate in the creation of an international agri-tourism initiative.
The CANAMEX international culinary trail is a proposed partnership between several businesses and municipalities in Vermont, New York, Ontario and Quebec.
The goal is to create the first international culinary trail that includes stops in each region that promotes local agriculture and tourism.
Each jurisdiction was represented by a number of local stakeholders who shared experiences about their own agri-tourism initiatives and brainstormed ideas for the proposed international route.
The Pontiac delegation included Pontiac MNA André Fortin’s political advisor Denise Morrissette, MRC Pontiac Warden Jane Toller, SADC Pontiac Director General Rhonda Perry and local farmeing guru Chris Judd.
Attendees were given a breakdown of the agri-tourism trails in several regions including the Outaouais Gourmet Way, Le Circuit Paysan, Le Circuit Pique Niques du Haut Richelieu, La Route des Vins dans Brome Missiquoi, the Adirondack Cuisine Trails and the Lake Champlain Taste Trail in Vermont.
Each trail will be promoted on a central website that will expose visitors to several agri-tourism options in one place.
Many in attendance were optimistic that by partnering with one another, the different trails will gain exposure and bring in more tourists to each region.
Each trail is made up of a series of circuits that take visitors on a tour through several local establishments. The Quebec and Ontario trails aim to have six different circuits.
Toller said that she regularly sees Europeans come through her business in Fort Coulonge. She said that many of the tourists she sees are drawn to the wilderness of the Pontiac. She pointed to the thriving adventure tourism ventures that dot the shore of the Ottawa River.
Toller was hopeful that the partnership will give each region more exposure to a broader pool of tourists.
For example, if someone from Vermont is looking at culinary circuits, they will not only see local options in their home state, but they’ll also be exposed to circuits in Quebec and Ontario that they wouldn’t have known existed otherwise.
The next step is to develop a working committee on marketing with representatives from each region.
