1000 Islands Wanderer Project a unique way to reignite tourism in Gananoque region

There's a different type of tourism push in Gananoque and 1000 Islands, called the Wanderer Project, promoting the region by boat, helicopter and right on main street.

Mitchell Beattie is the 1000 Islands Wanderer, and he has been highlighting activities big and small throughout the tourist town and the Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands since October.

"The project was pitched as kind of like, you get to go through the 1000 Islands and do all the activities and you get paid to do it, and I was like that sounds like a pretty good gig to me," Beattie said. 

Beattie has been creating content on his social media channels, showcasing rock climbing, boating on the St. Lawrence River, and everything in between.

"From cafes to restaurants to all the way to today, we're shooting a book store that's local here in Gananoque," he said. "I've lived here most of my life and I didn't even know some of these places existed."

The aim is to lure tourists back to the region and get them to stay a bit longer, after the town saw significant decreases the past three years. 

"I'm hoping to get back to the 2019 numbers," said Amanda Trafford, Economic Development and Cultural Heritage Coordinator for Town of Gananoque.

"We had a wonderful 2019 and we had never seen better numbers," she said. "Last year, obviously, our numbers were better than 2021 and 2020, so we're looking forward to seeing how many people come this summer."

A screenshot from the 1000 Islands Wanderer episode one at the Gananouqe Boat Museum. (Submitted)

The project is seeing some success as tourist visits spike, with Trafford noting more Americans are coming back after the controversial ArriveCan app was dropped last October.

"There was people in our visitors centre that day and I think that we're going to start seeing people coming up from New York State again," Trafford said. "We are about 15 minutes from the border. That's a huge draw for us and always has been."

Now the team is reaching out to the public to help highlight some other hidden gems around the region that even the locals might not know exist.

"They come here for a boat tour, but maybe there's a special place they can go take a picnic or a hike or an adventure that we haven't thought of," Trafford said. 

"I hear a lot that people don't know what is in their own communities in terms of whether it's a store or an attraction," she added. "The goal here is to get people out from our communities as well as our neighbouring communities and just have them put some dollars back into the community."

The program, which is funded by a provincial grant, is a chance to put Gananoque and the 1000 Islands region on the map once again, even as thousands drive through it on Hwy. 401 every day.

"(People say) it's always on their way to Montreal or Ottawa, it's that town," Beattie said. "I've seen the signs to the 1000 islands but I've never stopped,' but I would highly encourage people to do so."

Tom Stormonth of Beggars Banquet Books in downtown Gananoque was thrilled to have Beattie in to grab some shots. 

"We're always looking for ways to promote the fact that we are still alive in town," he said. "Business is still gong fine and this time of year when it's very slow it's very good to have some outside promotion."

Mitchell Beattie fiming in Beggas Banquet Books in downtown Gananoque, Ont. (Nate Vandermeer/CTV News Ottawa)

Stormonth says his business actually grew during parts of the pandemic as deliveries soared. 

"We couldn't keep up," he said. "We just finished a renovation in our store with the showcase of a whole new kids section, new flooring, just new bright light, new paint we're very happy to be able to show that off."

"It's pretty cool to interact with some business owners and see their reactions and what free promotion is doing for their businesses, especially with COVID-19 being such a big part of the struggle for a lot of small business owners," Beattie noted. 

"Social media is powerful and that video promotion is a way that a lot of people learn about what your business does and we get to be a small part of that," he said. 

Beattie said the call will go out on all of the Wanderer's social media channels asking for those other hidden gems in the region, with the hope to highlight as many as he can. 

"We would love to film them and promote them and see where that takes us," he said. 

"This is the perfect place to live and work and there is so many opportunities for people to get out and enjoy the beautiful surroundings," added Trafford. 

"We really just are looking for those little hidden gems that we can share with the world," she added. 

The 1000 Islands Wanderer can be found by using @1000islandswanderer on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram or TikTok.