Mission – The District of Mission is being pro-active when it comes to attracting victors to Mission. They have set up a tourism survey on the District’s website and asking residents and neighbours on their collective thoughts.
From Hotels and amenities to reasons for visiting and more important, staying and spending tourist dollars, the survey should provide insight on what is needed as the District moves ahead.
Some of the reaction is rather interesting.
Mission resident and former BCIT Broadcast Dean, Brian Antonson, noted:
The Observatory at Fraser River Heritage Park…demolished by the previous council…had a carefully researched and designed business plan which involved input from various stakeholders. It was based on attracting day-time school field trips for potentially more than 10,000 Fraser Valley students annually studying astronomy as part of curricula in three different grades.
Many of those students would then return with family members to see the glory of the night sky over the Park through our telescopes.
This would have generated innumerable tourism opportunities for return visits to learn more about our town, on annual basis. But the mayor said the business plan was ‘flawed’ because “schools don’t do field trips anymore”…a complete fabrication…not true.
Thus, a wonderful opportunity that could have increased tourism dramatically and established Mission as a centre of learning for things astronomical was squandered…and the quarter million dollar building was destroyed.
I applaud the Mission Leisure Centre for bringing a small planetarium into their operation…one of our prime features of the planned Observatory…and encourage everyone to visit it and learn about the wonders above us.
