Terry Fox tribute in Thunder Bay popular with TripAdvisor users

The Terry Fox monument gets top billing on the travel website TripAdvisor, in its rankings of visitor attractions in the Thunder Bay area. Now, the city's manager of tourism is hoping to use that global attention to encourage people to stay in the region a little longer.

Letting people know about the popularity of the Terry Fox statue helps tourism officials promote other local sightseeing destinations, Paul Pepe said. 

“Lots of people tend to roll in there,” he added.

“They're driving into Thunder Bay in the afternoon. Some of them may intend to stay just one night before moving on, but if we can play a role in keeping the visitor here in the community a little longer, by giving them great information, then it plays a very important role in terms of visitor retention.”

Between 800 and 1,000 people visit the Terry Fox Monument every day, Pepe said.

Reviews on the TripAdvisor web site praise the facility's cleanliness and its emotional impact, he noted.

“I think anybody that has been touched by cancer in some form is visibly moved when they see it. And when they visit the statue —  the background of Lake Superior, the Sleeping Giant, the trees, the flowers — everything around there really creates this beautiful environment for people to reflect.”

"Hats off to our city facilities department for their care and dedication and the passion they put into making sure it always sparkles for the visitor," Pepe said.

TripAdvisor is one of the most popular travel websites right now, Pepe added.

"A lot of people put a lot of stock in what they say and what they recommend, and the fact that a lot of it is based on what other travellers say and report,” he said.

'Really good pat on the back'

The visitor information centre at the monument, which opened in 1992, had interior renovations last year. Pepe said the city modernized it, added more computer terminals so staff can serve more people, added lounge seating, improved Wi-Fi for visitors and added some iPads.

The venue is open year round.

Pepe reiterated how important it is to receive recognition from TripAdvisor.

"When you hear that feedback from visitors about how they love the site and how beautiful it is and how informative the staff are. That's something that's really good to hear,” he said.

“It's a really good pat on the back ... having that accolade from TripAdvisor users and followers. Certainly the most authentic accolades you can get are from the visitors themselves."

Fort William Historical Park ranked No.2 as a Thunder Bay visitor attraction on the TripAdvisor web site.

"What we have here is pretty special. And often it's easy for those of us who live here everyday to take it for granted. We see it every morning and it's beautiful, but we tend to forget how to look at it through a visitor's eyes,” Pepe said.

“I think that's really important that we do that here in the northwest, to really start to understand and start to share what others are saying about us. What it does is that it rebuilds that sense of pride in place that we need to have to be a successful tourism destination. We have to be proud of what we have in our own backyard to be able to share it with the rest of the world."