Losing money | Travellers not aware of scenic river route

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The Liberal government is developing art work that will be ready in 2009 for highway signage that direct tourists to the province's five scenic drives.

But frustrated Fredericton-area tourism operators said that's another year of inadequate highway signs.

"I have given up on it," said Donna Evans, owner of the On The Pond Country Retreat and Spa in Mactaquac. "I am resigned to it."

Local tourism operators met with Tourism Minister Stuart Jamieson last summer to beg for better signage on the four-lane Trans-Canada Highway.

The new highway bypasses Fredericton and many tourism operators along the St. John River Valley scenic drive, one of five official scenic drives in the province.

After that meeting, tourism officials promised to do a study of the signage needs in the Fredericton area over the winter.

One sign was installed west of Kings Landing late in 2007.

But that study was later cancelled to allow the update of all scenic drive signs, said Alison Aiton, spokeswoman for the department.

"Our plan is to update those signs," she said Monday. "We are redesigning them now. We hope to have them ready for the 2009 tourism season."

The plan is to replace signs with new signs, not add more signs, said Aiton.

But Evans said one additional sign isn't enough.

"The signage is still not adequate," she said. "People are still getting lost."

The new sign directs people off the highway at Exit 253, but there is no signage for the scenic drive after that, she said.

Evans said she is trying to compensate for the loss of drive-through traffic by advertising on the Internet and promoting wellness vacations to New Brunswick customers.

Patrick Watt, co-manager of the Coastal Inn in Silverwood, also said more highway signage is needed.

"That is very confusing for our customers," he said. "We're already in the tourism season. People are already passing us by. We are into our second or third season without signs."

Watt is frustrated by the change in art work.

He said the Department of Tourism encouraged his motel to put the old art work on all of its brochures.

"It's rather frustrating talking to these people," said Watt. "It's just a mess."

He said the solution is getting two more signs up as soon as possible nd letting people enjoy the beautiful drive along the river into the city.

Bruce McCormack, general manager of Downtown Fredericton Inc. and chairman of the Greater Fredericton Tourism Association sign committee, wants the province to do the original study.

"I'm not sure that keeping the signs in their existing locations will help that much," he said Monday. "They said they needed the study because there had been so many changes.

"We need a consultant that has tourism expertise and highway knowledge."

McCormack said the four-lane highway system is great, but the Liberal government has to realize it bypasses a lot of tourism operators.

"Businesses are not on the edge of the highway anymore," he said. "It's having a negative impact on tourism, particularly for the rural attractions.

"It's the whole scenic drive sign system. It's out of date. It's archaic. It doesn't work."

McCormack said tourists who have time will leave the main highway and travel along the scenic routes if they have the right signage giving them directions.