I am continuously dismayed at what appears to be all talk with too little action when it comes to promoting Hope.
There is much bemoaning our declining population, shortage of young people and dwindling businesses yet we appear to be missing one of the simplest and low cost methods of encouraging visitors. Yes, there is a new logo and a attractive sign (soon to be hidden by trees) but I am aware of little else, other than the posts on the (Advantage?) Hope Facebook page.
Have you noticed there is no evident promotion of Hope northbound on Highway 7 and westbound on the Coquihalla and Crowsnest where the largest volume of traffic and potential visitors is missed. Yet opportunity exists... a sad and derelict sign hiding behind the trees before exit 173 needs a good facelift and clearing of trees (it certainly sends out the wrong image of Hope as it is). On the Coquihalla a large pull-off about 25 kilometres or so before exit 173 would make an excellent stopping point for travellers and the inclusion of an information board with route planning, activities and services in Hope and maybe include some promotion of business opportunities!
My quick research, using 2013 data from the B.C. Traffic Data Program (http://www.th.gov.bc.ca/trafficdata/tradas/mainmap.asp) indicates there is an annual daily flow of traffic from Highway 3 (Crowsnest) of 2,400 vehicles, 10,500 on Highway 5 (Coquihalla), 2,700 on Highway 1 (Trans Canada - Fraser Canyon) and 2,500 on Highway 7 (Lougheed). That’s more than 18,000 (9,000 westbound) vehicles per day passing through Hope! You can almost double that numbers if you look only at the peak summer months. It really is time to step up the promotion and image of Hope!
Stan Kirkpatrick,
Hope, B.C.