Falls and Gorge facilities set to open May 17
The most impressive waterfall in New Brunswick, located in the heart of Grand Falls, is expected to attract thousands of tourists to the Upper St. John River Valley during the summer months.
Denis Boucher, director of the Falls and Gorge Commission, said the Malabeam tourist information centre will officially open on May 17, the Victoria Day weekend. He expects the mighty St. John River, which has carved a gorge through the centre of the community over millions of years, to once again draw visitors to the area.
“We are hoping to have a good tourist season. The price of gas is still up there, and that can always affect traffic. The strong Canadian dollar is another thing. It is good for some things, but it is bad for others. For tourism it gives the tourists another place to go. When the dollar was 60 cents (US) they didn’t go there, but now they have another place to go.”
Boucher said the Falls and Gorge Commission has an extensive marketing campaign for the year, including ads in the 2008 Experience New Brunswick Vacation Planner, and a new tourist guide for the town.
“Grand Falls has its own tourist guide, 28 pages of information about the attractions in Grand Falls, things to do and a little bit about history,” he stated. “We will also have a kiosk in several (tourism) exhibitions this spring.”
The commission will visit tourism shows in Quebec, Halifax, Ottawa and Montreal this spring to generate interest in local attractions.
Once tourists get here, Boucher said the commission plans to rejuvenate their guided tours. Visitors will be encouraged to participate in the tours planned four to five times daily along the trails and the stairs in the gorge.
“We have had guided tours, but we are really want to encourage that this year, try to have four to five guided tours daily and have a schedule made at certain times, talk about Grand Falls, the history of the gorge and all of those things. People are interested in those things, but you have to have it organized properly.”
The commission expects to hire 20 employees this summer, and all falls and gorge workers will attend the annual training program to make sure they are knowledgeable about the falls and the major attractions.
“The pontoon boat also provides a guide, who tells people everything about the gorge, along with telling people about the history of the community and what to see and do while you are here.”
Boucher acknowledged that this summer might see tourists attracted to witness the start of extensive repairs to the piers at Grand Falls hydroelectric dam located at the top of the falls.
The pier remediation project will see a massive steel enclosure surround a pier to protect the workers inside the structure and divert the St. John River around it as it cascades down the famous gorge, The project will take about seven years to complete.
“If the work on the dam means they have to keep the water quite low, that could give us a problem with the boat ride,” Boucher stated. “The dam has to be almost all closed for us to safely operate the boat in the gorge.”
The director confirmed that the commission will reinstate parking fees for visitors to the Malabeam Centre.
Tourists driving their vehicles into the parking lot will have to pay $3; if they stay at the campground or take a boat ride, the fee is reimbursed. Local residents will be exempt from the fee.
The Malabeam Centre, located at the head of the falls, will officially open for tourists on May 17. La Rochelle Centre, which provides visitors a chance to navigate 250 steps down into the gorge, opens on June 23. The guided tours aboard the pontoon boat will start, weather permitting, during the last week of June. The Falls and Gorge Campground opens on June 14.
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