Tourism Vancouver opens 2010 Olympic visitor centres
Photo from http://www.flickr.com/photos/vancouvergo/2275023166/
Tourism Vancouver has opened the first of 12 temporary “satellite visitor centres” expected to help hundreds of thousands of tourists in the 12 months surrounding the 2010 Olympic Games.
The 2.4-metre-by-3.7-metre structure in the Vancouver Art Gallery plaza on Robson Street provides travel information and is equipped to sell tourism products currently available at Tourism Vancouver’s permanent visitor centre at 200 Burrard Street.
The permanent centre normally serves about 300,000 tourists a year but the addition of the satellite centres is expected to boost that total to about one million visitors.
ourism BC is funding the $500,000 capital cost of the project - with each structure worth about $40,000 - while Tourism Vancouver will cover the operating costs.
Tourism Vancouver vice-president Janet Carson said the second satellite centre will open at the Pacific Coliseum for the ISU Four Continents figure skating championships in February 2009.
The others will open near Games venues like Hillcrest Arena, GM Place and the UBC sports centre between late 2009 and early 2010. Carson said tourism officials will also work with the City of Vancouver to identify any high-traffic pedestrian corridors that could benefit from a visitor centre during the Games.
The centres will be staffed by about 300 volunteers and 50 employees during the Games. About 30 staff members will be co-op students on paid internships from Capilano College’s tourism management program.
After the Games are over, the visitor centres will be redeployed to communities throughout B.C. for use as seasonal visitor centres.
The first satellite centre at the Vancouver Art Gallery will be open seven days a week - from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for most of the year and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in winter months. It is expected to remain at its current location at least until the end of October 2010.
