Clearview added to Apple Pie Trail

 In Business, News, Visit Creemore

A select few businesses will be a portal to expanding culinary tourism in Clearview Township in 2016.

John Giffen (pictured) has been successful in getting Clearview on the map – the Apple Pie Trail map.

A product of the Blue Mountain Village Association, the Apple Pie Trail is a marketing tool to enhance the experience for those visiting the Village at Blue Mountain and increase tourism in the broader region.

A caramel apple latte at Espresso Post in Collingwood, a caramel apple Pedi at iwa spa at Blue Mountain Village, apple picking in the Beaver Valley and apple pie at Grandma Lambe’s in Meaford are just a few of the apple themed stops already on the map. This summer, Giffen’s Country Market in Glen Huron, Creemore Kitchen, Mad Maple Country Inn and local farmers’ markets will also be stops.

Blue Mountain Village Association director of marketing and events Patti Kendall said apples and local food are the foundation of the tourism experience, building it out with the local heritage, culture, art and outdoor adventures.

She said it started in the Beaver Valley in 2008 and from there, partners started to develop complementary products.

It’s an opportunity to promote local food and an authentic unique product, said Kendall.

“It has become a very important tourism product for Ontario Tourism when they are out selling internationally. It’s not enough to have a wonderful world-class resort but they also need to be able to provide more information to international travellers,” she said. “This is a great way to move people through and experience all of the unique areas throughout our region and linking them together but with a local food component to it. That is the foundation of it, is local food and apples.”

Having worked for the company that developed Blue Mountain Village, Giffen, now the general manager of Glen Huron Apples, saw the importance that area visitors discover what Clearview has to offer.

“The Blue Mountain area is like a base camp for families. After a few days they want to get out and explore the area,” said Giffen. “There are so many things to do. We really are a four-season destination.”

Once visitors come to Clearview they can discover the farmers’ markets, hiking trails, cross country skiing, snowmobiling, horseback riding, arts and crafts.

“The majority of the visitors to Blue Mountain are from the GTA and what we have isn’t available in their own backyards,” said Giffen.

He said there will be a benefit to all small business owners in the township.

For every partner, who pays a fee of their own, the Township of Clearview pays a fee of $500.

The municipality’s culture, recreation and tourism coordinator, Shane Sargant said with three business partners and farmers’ markets in Stayner and Creemore, the township would pay $2,500.

“The Apple Pie Trail will lure people into Creemore,” said Sargant. “Our job is to bring people to the main attraction and then other attractions, it’s their job to bring them into their business or store.”

He said the township and Apple Pie Trail partners will work to promote the township as a whole.

Sargant said this is one of the township’s first forays into tourism promotion. Tourism was added to his portfolio last year and last month Sargant held a second tourism summit where the Apple Pie Trail partnership was announced. Sargant said the township also increased its involvement in the Georgian Triangle Tourism Association (GTTA) at a fee of $15,000, to become a partner.

There will be opportunities to promote certain apple related events through the Apple Pie Trail but the details of how are still being worked out.

“Creemore is such a lovely place and we have always wanted to include it but we knew we wouldn’t be able to manage it from this distance so having an ambassador there gives us that opportunity,” said Kendall of John Giffen.

“It is full, we hadn’t really planned to expand. It’s a large project to manage and we want to make sure that we’re providing the best possible tourism and local food experience.”

Visit www.applepietrail.ca.

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