Friends of Killarney Park received a $53,500 boost from FedNor this week, with Nickel Belt Liberal MP Marc Serré announcing the funds to help boost area tourism.
The funds are earmarked for hiring a youth intern as a publications co-ordinator for a one-year term to help increase camping tourism at Killarney Provincial Park. They will work with Friends of Killarney Park to redesign the organization’s key tourist information pamphlets, including printed backcountry and trail tourism guides, and the main canoe guide.
“The enhanced marketing products will target the increased number of first-time campers and visitors who have discovered the area in recent years,” according to a media release issued by FedNor, which also notes the guides will meet accessibility standards and contain more inclusive content reflecting local Indigenous culture and history, specifically the neighbouring Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory and Point Grondine Park.
The intern will also create digital versions of the guides for use on social media platforms to further promote tourism online.
“This internship is providing a recent graduate with valuable new skills for career advancement, and it will help market Killarney Park to a wider audience, which in turn, will bring economic benefits to the region,” Serré said in the release.
“Investments like this enable communities like Killarney to develop tourism products and experiences that will attract more tourists year-round.”
In the release, Friends of Killarney Park executive director Rachel Mantas expressed the organization’s appreciation for the funding, and that it would help market Killarney Provincial Park as “a prime camping and tourist destination.”
“We are excited to have a young creative mind join our team’s efforts to help us increase the awareness of the benefits of visiting the park.”
The investment is part of the Tourism Relief Fund created to support “tourist businesses and organizations to adapt their operations to meet public health requirements while investing in products and services to facilitate their future growth.”
There are more than 200 members of Friends of Killarney Park working to support environmental, educational and recreational goals at the park, which welcomed more than 150,000 visitors in 2020.
