Tag Archives: Nancy Arsenault

Imagining the Future of Tourism on Cortes

Over the last few months CCEDA has been working with a Canada-wide but Comox-based consulting company called Tourism Cafe, on proposals for the future of tourism on Cortes Island. The process is nearing its completion, but islanders have one more chance to participate and make their opinions and priorities known.

On January 31st at 4pm, CCEDA will sponsor a “virtual public meeting” — the last in a series that started in Fall 2023 — at which some preliminary findings will be presented and one final round of community input gathered. The end product will be a formal report with an analysis of the local “visitor economy” and recommendations for the future.

Currents interviewed Kate Maddigan from CCEDA, who has been coordinating this effort.

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Cortes Island’s First Two Tourism Cafes

Close to 40 residents turned out to the first two Tourism Cafes on Cortes Island. The Cortes Community Economic Development Association (CCEDA) brought in Lesley Anderson and Nancy Arsenault to facilitate meetings at Mansons and Gorge Halls last week. The pair will host a virtual Tourism Cafe on  Wednesday, November 1st from 10 am to 12 pm, and return in January to present their findings. 

“ People came out of the meeting feeling a lot more informed about this planning process and how it can be a force for better tourism outcomes on the island in the future.  A process like this can be really useful and it doesn’t have to result in greater tourism. It’s how we can nuance that tourism and make it better for the island and just attract the right visitors,” explained Kate Maddigan, Economic Development Officer of CCEDA.

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Seeking Your Input For A New Vision Of Tourism On Cortes Island

Lesley Anderson and Nancy Arsenault are bringing a new vision of tourism to Mansons Hall on Monday, October 23rd and Gorge Hall the following day.

“The old model of tourism  where you just focused on the visitors doesn’t work. How do you build tourism for the benefit of all and not just the visitors? How can tourism – the dollars that it brings, the amenities and infrastructure that can be brought – benefit residents first, along with the visitors. How do you build it based on what residents are looking for? It’s a new lens and it’s called regenerative tourism,” explained Anderson. 

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