The Elora Gorge welcomed its first ever Parkbus group last weekend.
On May 21, a coach bus brought visitors from Toronto to the Elora Gorge for a day trip. Visitors received a tour and then were free to stay at the park, visit downtown Elora or continue on to the Rockwood Conservation Area in the afternoon.
Federal minister of small business and tourism Bardish Chagger was at the Elora Gorge to celebrate the inaugural Parkbus trip.
“As I am sure you will agree, the Elora Gorge is one of the great examples of the awesome eco-tourism experiences this province has to offer,” she said.
“Whether you’re enjoying the scenic lookout from high above the Grand River or zipping down the river on an inner tube, there is some serious fun to be had here in Grand River parks.”
The Elora Gorge is one of several designations on the Parkbus roster. Co-founders Alex Berlyand and Boris Issaev started the company in 2010 and connect people from Toronto and Ottawa to national and provincial parks and conservation authorities.
Parkbus offers both day trips and overnight adventures, with the Elora Gorge being one of its newest destinations.
“This is a place everyone should experience for themselves and I am pleased to see that Parkbus is doing its part by adding a day trip service to its offerings that will help to further increase tourism to this area,” Chagger said. “Parkbus is a great way to promote tourism in an environmentally friendly way and I commend the people behind this company for their vision.”
She added, “It is a wonderful example of the kind of entrepreneurship and innovation that helps build Canada’s tourism industry and helps to attract international visitors to our great country.”
Parkbus is a part of Transportation Options, a non-profit organization that dedicates its time and efforts to sustainable tourism and transportation in Ontario.
Centre Wellington Mayor Kelly Linton welcomed Saturday’s visitors to Elora.
“This is a great park, great opportunity for people from Toronto to come and know what it’s like to be in one of our conservation areas … so enjoy your day while you’re here,” Linton said.
He added there is “lots to do” at the park and offered a safety warning to visitors about the dangers of falling off the cliffs.
Linton encouraged visitors to venture out of the park and into downtown Elora in order to experience everything the town has to offer.
“Take a look at a lot of the construction that we have,” he said. “If you go into downtown Elora there’s going to be some heritage stone piers in the middle of the river, well in two years time when you come back there’s going to be a new walking bridge across that river, there’s going to be a new boutique hotel. Elora is going to be a destination that people are going to continue to come (to) from all over Ontario and all over Canada.”
The Elora Gorge Parkbus service will be running throughout the summer and into the fall.
For more information visit https://www.parkbus.ca.
