Heart of the Island Initiative aims to bring tourists to the Kensington area
The committee hopes to develop a 5-year strategic plan
The Kensington and Area Chamber of Commerce is hoping to develop a tourism plan that will make people visiting P.E.I. want to stay a bit longer in the region.
It's called the Heart of the Island Initiative and the intent is to get people who usually drive through places like Kensington, Malpeque, Freetown and Stanley Bridge to stop a while to take in what each community has to offer.
Don Quarles, the chair of the project committee and executive director of the Indian River Festival, said he hopes to create a five-year strategic plan.
The idea, he said, is to generate more traffic for local operators and stakeholders.
"There are a lot of operators that may be otherwise overshadowed by larger areas," he said.
The committee, made up of 15 stakeholders and operators, will host a public consultation at the Kensington Legion on Feb. 27 to gather ideas for informing tourists about what the area has to offer.
Quarles said the committee will also hire a consultant who will address the priorities for the project.
"Quite frankly, those priorities will be key to moving the project forward."
Quarles said nothing is set in stone yet and the committee has put in an application in for government funding.