After a summer featuring cool wet weather and a recession, a major tourism promotion in Bruce County has beaten the odds.
The 2009 Explore the Bruce Adventure Passport campaign ended officially on December 5, with 10 thousand dollars in local adventure prizes given away to six lucky people.
Over 17 hundred people punched their passport cards over 17 thousand times, up 118 percent from 2008.
County Tourism Manager Chris Hughes says they’re absolutely thrilled with the results and that tourists are taking the passport seriously — even planning a weeks vacation to complete the 12 stop route of unique local attractions and landmarks.
The most popular stop on the route was the Amphitheatre on the Saugeen First Nation.
Other stops included the Holyrood General Store, the Tiverton Walk of Memories, and Denny’s Dam.
Hughes says a lot of local people might have drove by the attraction several times, but never actually stopped to see it until they decided to do the passport tour.
He says people were blown away by the view of the Saugeen River and the amphitheatre — which is handmade from stone and surrounded by gardens.
Hughes says if you haven’t followed the adventure passport tour before, you’re guaranteed to have an amazing time.
He says it connects families and friends, and is really catching on after first starting five years ago.
Hughes says most of the people who use the passport are from Ontario, but there are visitors from bordering states and Quebec.
The Adventure Passport will be back again in 2010 and will start on May 1st.