Explore the South Shore
Experience Online
What is Happening
Home
Français
|
 |
For Immediate Release – September 7, 2006
Central Bedeque, Prince Edward Island – Think of it as treasure hunting with the latest technology. Now think of it as part of your vacation. Geocaching is a vacation-friendly, family-friendly activity that involves using satellite technology to look for hidden treasure. More importantly, geocaching is about finding out of the way locales, surprising scenic views, and exploring the road less traveled.
The South Shore Tourism Group, the association for tourism operators in PEI’s south shore, is developing its region as the place to come geocaching in PEI.
“This is a new product for PEI. There are currently more than 21,000 caches in Canada, 2,500 of those in New Brunswick, 1,700 in Nova Scotia, and 82 in PEI. People are participating in this activity but it is not developed in PEI,” says Phil MacKay, chair of the association’s product development committee. “We are embarking on a regional initiative to train our operators about geocaching and offer it as an activity to our visitors.”
“Geocaching is a new way to move people around the south shore region,” he says, listing GPS related itineraries and special events as part of the project.
The association has published a brochure and map detailing the tourism attributes of the south shore and inviting people to try geocaching. They will be launching a related web site, www.geocachingpei.com, shortly as well.
The association’s geocaching project is a partnership supported by the South Shore Tourism Group, Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, Tourism PEI, and the Central Development Corporation.
“Geocaching is enjoyed by people around the world,” said the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA). “Bringing this activity to PEI is an innovative way to attract visitors to the area and entice them to stay longer.”
The Minister of Tourism for Prince Edward Island, the Honourable Philip Brown, noted, “Visitors are always looking for new tourism products that will help them experience and enjoy PEI.” He added, “This progressive project combines the use of technology with the exploration of the pastoral and coastal beauty of the south shore region.”
“Geocaching is a relatively new activity. To develop it as a tourism product will take some innovation and initial costs for training, equipment and supporting literature,” says Dan Wall, Tourism Development Officer at the Central Development Corporation. “This activity will create added value for the operators – it will not be their sole product but will provide them with an opportunity for growth.”
“The recreation is growing,” Wall adds, “and now that the south shore has an organized association, the South Shore Tourism Group, it is time to bring geocaching into the tourism lexicon of PEI.”
ACOA will contribute $17,350 to the project through its Business Development Program. The provincial government through Tourism PEI will contribute $5,000 and the Central Development Corporation will provide $4,000.
The South Shore Tourism Group Inc.
The SSTG formed in April 2006. It came together as a result of communities and tourism operators on the south shore of PEI lacking a cohesive tourism association representing the region. The SSTG covers the region between Charlottetown and Summerside and south of Route 2.
The non-profit organization is membership based. It’s goals and objectives are to enhance, strengthen and promote the growth of the tourism industry in the South Shore area of Prince Edward Island and to increase the awareness of the activities, attractions and natural beauty of the South Shore area as a vacation destination.
Geocaching
Geocaching is an adventure hobby that involves using a Global Positioning System (GPS) device to locate a cache - a hidden container. A GPS unit is a handheld device that shows your exact latitude and longitude coordinates anywhere on earth. If you enter the coordinates of a different destination, a cache in this case, the unit displays your distance from and direction to that location in a straight line. Participants travel by vehicle and ultimately on foot, following their GPS unit’s coordinates to the site of the cache. Participants receive the latitude and longitude coordinates for the cache from their tourism operator or on line before setting out on their trip.
The cache may be a container that holds local products or mementos, maps, just about anything. The container may be large or small, typically something waterproof and durable. The container will have a log book where you record that you found it and note what you took from the container and what you left in its place. (One of the rules of geocaching is take something, leave something.) You later log onto the geocaching web site to record your visit as well. Some travelers leave pins from their home town for example and seek to take something local.
The cache may be easy to find or difficult - GPS units will bring users to within 20 feet of the coordinates. ‘GEO’ comes from geography and ‘CACHING’ relates to hiding and finding a cache or treasure.
“Geocaching is a way to visit historical or natural areas people might miss if they just follow the travel guide. It's great exercise, fun, and a reason to buy another techie tool!”
(excerpted from: www.eduscapes.com/geocaching/faqs.htm)
Participants create a user name to log on to the site and record their visits. A search of geocaches on PEI shows that there are already many caches on the Island. Users establish the caches themselves, name them, and post the coordinates on the site. It is a user-maintained recreation and most caches are on public land or lands that have public access.
For more information please contact Phil MacKay, Product Development Committee Chair at 902-439-9899, or Dan Wall, Central Development Corporation, at 902-887-3400.
» Back to Media Section
|
|
