South Bruce Peninsula is working with the Regional Tourism Organization to produce and publish a video promoting responsible tourism ahead of the summer at Sauble Beach.
A staff report to council March 7th says, “Communication and education of the Town’s local bylaws is a good strategy to help inform people coming to the beach.”
Back in August of 2022, town council approved the creation of a Sauble Beach ‘Visit Responsibly’ video.
CAO Bill Jones says in his report, “Although we wholeheartedly welcome visitors, managing this many visitors can be a
challenge. Communication and education of the Town’s local bylaws is a good strategy to help inform people coming to the beach.”
Staff say, Sauble Beach sees over a million visitors to the beach annually. They note, according to the Regional Tourism Organization 7 (RTO7), visitors spend a significant amount of time on social media, which is where they plan to publish the video.
Staff say the planned social media campaign, expected to launch in May if it gains council’s final approval, will, help communicate the Town’s local bylaws in what staff describe as a, “Positive upbeat manner so that all visitors will have an enjoyable experience while visiting Sauble Beach.”
While not necessarily attributable to visitors, some issues in the summer of 2022, included numerous incidents involving vandalism, and in an effort to counteract that, there were increased OPP patrols. Of the 212 provincial offence notices handed out by late July last summer, 87 were alcohol related, and bylaw officers were reportedly harassed. Businesses were damaged, construction material was stolen, and the old, unused Scooper’s Ice Cream hut behind the former JK’s department store burned down.
