Tobermory's Tourism Treasure: Ashley Salen's Blue Heron Adventures

Mary Anne Ivison (Voiceover)  0:01  
This is forward motion discussions about the important topic shaping Ontario's tourism industry. Here's your host, Andrew sigward, today

Andrew Siegwart  0:10  
we're heading north to one of Ontario's most iconic tourism destinations to chat with Ashley Salen, operator of blue heron cruises and co owner of Sweetwater Bay in Tobermory. Ashley shares some behind the scenes insights and also some exciting new experiences ready for launch this summer. Welcome to forward motion, Ashley. We're really happy that you're here with us today. We always like to start off by just asking our guests to tell us a little bit about, you know, what brought you into the industry of tourism, and more specifically, how you landed with blue hair and cruises and Sweetwater Bay?

Ashley Salen  0:44  
Sure. So back in the late 50s, my grandparents started vacationing in topamore. My maternal grandparents, they purchased a cottage in the 60s here in topamore. My mom spent all of her summers in topamore working as a summer student, and then I continued. My brother and I continued that tradition on. As soon as we were old, we spent every summer here on the beach, you know, building sand castles and things. But as soon as we were old enough, we both took jobs in the village of toke Mari and got involved in the tourism industry. So my first job was back in 1999 at the crow's nest pub. That's not what it is today, but it's in its former beauty. It was a takeout restaurant in bakery downstairs, so I started there, but in 2000 I decided I wanted to be outside of it more. So I applied at Blue Heron, and they hired me into ticket sales and retail sales, and I worked in those two jobs all the way through high school and university, and then I came back here after university, because every kid goes home after university. I started in an entry level management job about 2008 I think, and here we are today, still kicking around, and I have a team of managers and administrators and all kinds of staff under me, and it's super fun.

Andrew Siegwart  1:59  
Wow. And you must have seen quite a lot of growth over the years.

Ashley Salen  2:02  
Yes, a lot of changes have happened here in Tobermory, for sure.

Andrew Siegwart  2:08  
Did you live in Bruce county during that time? So you were more of a city family who went up to Tobermory to visit

Ashley Salen  2:15  
Barnum, raised in listwell, Ontario. Oh, that's great.

Andrew Siegwart  2:19  
Yes, you have worked in Tobermory and Bruce County for a number of decades now, pre millennial. Actually. Can you share with us? You know, what makes the county and Tobermory so special? Yes,

Ashley Salen  2:30  
so Bruce County and the soggy Bruce Peninsula and Tobermory, it's all about the nature and the landscapes, and it's just awe inspiring everywhere you look. I mean, I live and breathe it every day. I look out my front window and I can see Georgia Bay. I look at my back window and I see cedar trees abound. But you know, when you see this through a newcomer's eyes or a first time tourist eyes, it's very special, and you're reminded just how special that is every time I have a chance to interact with with somebody who's here for the first time.

Andrew Siegwart  3:02  
Yeah, and it is really nice, isn't it, when you can sort of experience that through the eyes of your visitors and and I'll bet you, it can be easy to take things for granted when you live in such a beautiful place all the time, but I would imagine you're probably surprised by the beauty often, even still to this day, yeah,

Ashley Salen  3:18  
especially at this time of year, when the lake is just so crystal clear. It's, it's very special.

Andrew Siegwart  3:24  
And the birds are all coming back right now, aren't they, it's, it's amazing. I always forget what the Bird song is like in that region until they come back in the spring and you're like, wow,

Ashley Salen  3:33  
there must be a loon nest just off the shore of my house here, because I can hear the loons every

Andrew Siegwart  3:38  
day. I have a place in Meaford from the time when I worked up in the South Georgia Bay region. And I've been hearing the loons more and more over the last few years. They're making a bit more of a comeback, because there was a period of time where they weren't around as much. So it's nice to hear them again, isn't it super special. I mean, you have a really interesting perspective, having seen places like Tobermory and Bruce county really evolve and grow. You know, how has it changed in the past decades? You know, since you started visiting there as a child and and enjoying it like, what has that growth been like?

Ashley Salen  4:12  
Yeah, so obviously, there's growth. The more people that hear about it, the more people are going to come because it is so special. But social media really pushed that. You know, everybody can take the most spectacular picture here and post it to Facebook or Instagram and brag to their family and friends just how great it is to be in Togo Mori and that that definitely leads that on. For sure, it's also just fun to see the changes within the town, you know, business owners that are investing back into the town to improve their businesses, or businesses that have changed ownership, and the new owners come in with all kinds of great ideas, and it's just ever evolving. You don't go downtown topamore Without spying some sort of change every season. So so.

Andrew Siegwart  5:00  
That's great. That's great. And I think some people might expect that things can sometimes stay a bit consistent in these types of communities. But even even in Tobermory, there's this change always happening, isn't there? Has there been a sort of a change to the type of experiences that are coming online, or is it pretty experiential and outdoor adventure focused?

Ashley Salen  5:21  
Yeah, I would say it's still very outdoor focused and experiential things such as the National Park Visitor Center, that's something that did change within my time here, and it's it's truly amazing to be able to go to a center and have that ability to interact with the displays and learn more about the area. I mean, they had a small one downtown when I started working up here, but the new center is is really amazing and and having all the access to the shorelines in the various places, including the visitor center, the Grotto, halfway log dump, everything just lends itself to being an outdoor destination. I would say, in terms of improvements, though, you know, sort of pre COVID, COVID, when the town was experiencing its its biggest sort of growth was when everybody started really investing in systems for reservations and making it very, very easy for folks to pre plan their trip, which is something I highly recommend. You know, the grotto at first Peninsula National Park fills very quickly, so that's something that's great to have as a reservation system. So you know, when you come here, your experience is going to be the experience you want it to be.

Andrew Siegwart  6:36  
That's right. And then at the same time, it also manages things like overcrowding on roads and a little bit of that traffic congestion. I remember when some of those systems were implemented in the like mid, I don't maybe 2013, 1415, somewhere around then, maybe it was a little bit later, but I remember it was very innovative and new. You know, you were doing that in the parks up there before most other destinations were and I remember there was some pushback, but really there was future vision, because by the time the pandemic came, you were able to really manage your visitor numbers. Was that really a park Initiative, or was that something that many businesses sort of rallied behind at the time?

Ashley Salen  7:16  
Yeah, I think just with the change in the consumer demand and the ease of the internet and online booking platforms, I think it all just kind of happened around the same time. I can remember a day when I was selling tickets at Blue Heron, and we didn't take any reservations. It was just first come first serve, and now it's mostly reservations. So that's a big change in my time too, and it's a change for the better for folks. They don't have to worry about, you know, getting here at daybreak to get a boat ticket. They've got it in hand, and they can arrive when, when they need to.

Andrew Siegwart  7:52  
Yeah, yeah. It's great for consumers. You know what to expect, and also from a business owner, you know how many people you need that day. You know, you know what you're in for right up the front, right? So it can help on planning, I would imagine, and logistics. Why don't you tell us a little bit about sort of the blue heron operation. I mean, you really are quite an attraction. You have a mix of accommodations, you have a mix of retail, you know, your cruises. So give us a highlight of what's on offer at Blue Heron,

Ashley Salen  8:18  
sure. So we offer, obviously, glass bottom boat tours through fat and five National Marine Park, including ones that stop at flower pot island for the hiking and exploring experience. We offer non stop tours as well and our nightly sunset cruise, which is a two hour cruise along the Georgia Bay coastline. On top of that, there is the Harborside motel and wireless Bay cottages for accommodations. We have a couple of retail stores on the docks in topomori, and new this year is blue heron adventures, which will be operating diving and snorkeling tours.

Andrew Siegwart  8:56  
Oh, that's really cool. What are the sites for the diving and snorkeling.

Ashley Salen  9:02  
Yeah, so there is over 20 shipwrecks here off of Tova Mori, various levels of depth. So some of them are very advanced dive sites. Others are snorkel horvi. So we will be offering tours based on level of experience and certifications. We will be a patty five star dive center, so we can offer training in house. There's a very popular course called discover scuba diving, which lots of people take to learn how to scuba dive and see if it might be for them. But there's also snorkeling, which everybody can do if they can swim. So we're excited to get going on this new adventure for us this year.

Andrew Siegwart  9:47  
I also think it's very interesting and cool that you have launched something like diving, which has a, you know, more complexity, you have to get your certifications in training, but you also have the snorkeling it's accessible to. To many more people. But I would imagine, if you go and you snorkel and you experience it, it just might give you the bug to maybe consider trying scuba diving next year or in the future. So it's a great way to sort of get people interested.

Ashley Salen  10:12  
Yeah, and a new experience for people to check out to if they've been to Topo Mori before and have done the glass bottom boat tour, maybe now they want to, you know, be on top of their shipwreck and and see it with their own two eyes.

Andrew Siegwart  10:25  
Yeah, I had a great conversation a few weeks ago with Troy young at attractions Ontario, and one of the things he was talking about was attractions across the province are always innovating and layering in new experiences and giving people a reason to come back and and even if you've, if you've experienced the bay, to interact with it in a different way. So this is just such a great example of that. And also, I know that diving is well well understood in the Great Lakes or even in the St Lawrence Seaway, but like fresh water, snorkeling can be really interesting, so I think that's really fun.

Ashley Salen  10:57  
Yeah, we will start the snorkeling tours near the end of June, we need the water temperature to increase slightly.

Andrew Siegwart  11:03  
Yes, I would assume it's going to be a wetsuit, required

Ashley Salen  11:08  
experience. Yes, I think in most cases,

Andrew Siegwart  11:11  
this may sound like a silly question, but do you think in this the snorkeling, is it going to be like enjoying the clear water, looking at the rock formations and the boats, but there's also some wildlife I'm sure to be able to see and fish species and other things,

Ashley Salen  11:23  
right? Typically, the bay is too cold and too deep for too much fish life. I mean, we don't, we don't see much through the glass bottoms of the boats, but I'm sure there is the odd sighting. Yes, for sure.

Andrew Siegwart  11:37  
I'm just thinking about when I've done my own little snorkeling in Georgian Bay. And I'm, you know, I'm chasing the minnows. That's fun for me. So that's really amazing. So talk to us a little bit about the Sweetwater Bay concept. I thought that was really interesting. I looked it up online. I know it's part of the sort of family of of offerings and accommodation. Maybe could you share a little bit about what that's all

Ashley Salen  11:58  
about? Yeah, sure. So we purchased the property during COVID with the understanding that we might rent a few suites there, and we moved in, and we thought, this is way too special to be our own. We have to share this space. So in the height of COVID, we in under a month, we furnished three rooms, three suites, and got them opened, which was a feat, and now we have six suites, fully furnished, and we run a restaurant on site as well. So it's right on the Bruce Trail. You can hike to it from Togo Mori in about an hour, hour and a half, and the Bruce Trail cuts right through the property. So hiking in both directions from the property is amazing. Of course, it's right on the shore of Georgian Bay, so swimming is easy and accessible. There's a pool on site. We have our own sort of vegetable garden that supplies the restaurant, and there's a lavender maze in the backyard. There's lots to see and do at Sweetwater Bay. It's truly a unique accommodation experience for tobomory.

Andrew Siegwart  13:08  
Quite an elevated experience, but then also that connection to the hiking. So could you hike to the hotel, stay overnight and then hike back? Do people normally do that?

Ashley Salen  13:18  
Sure, we've had some people working on their end to end stay with us and want to be picked up at various locations and brought to Sweetwater Bay and then continued on their hike from Sweetwater Bay the next day, or what have you. There's various ways that people are working on their end end of the Bruce Trail that we have accommodated in the past.

Andrew Siegwart  13:38  
Well, lots of options, right? What was the difference with that property compared to some of the other accommodations in Tobermory? Like is there that type of experience in other hotels there?

Ashley Salen  13:51  
It's an elevated experience. Definitely a higher end accommodation type for topamore. There are, there are a few others that are of higher ended topomori, but it's, it's one of the few.

Andrew Siegwart  14:02  
Yeah, it really is an interesting trend to watch these sort of really unique, special accommodation properties that are a bit bespoke, they're a bit smaller, and they're taking a whole bunch of different forms, like, you know, large pieces of property, like, like you're talking about, or even some of the great motel conversions with a real sort of flair for design and all sorts of fun stuff happening. It's nice to have that diversity of options when you go to a destination in terms of your stay. Talk

to me a little bit about the cruising business. It seems to me like it would be quite an operation to manage and oversee

Ashley Salen  14:43  
it is, it is, for sure, we have a lot going on with all the different facets of the business and the intricacies of everything, and I mean, everything's got its own set of regulations. But when you're in the transportation business, as we are with the tour boats, there's. There's a level of standard that has to be that with Transport Canada, which we're always exceeding, to make sure that everything is safety first. But yeah, there's a lot going on. There's a lot of moving parts. It's fun. It's this is the best time of the year right now, when we're getting everything up and running for the season, the staff are slowly starting to start back and get everything ready and help us out. And it's just really, it's really why we do the business, you know, it's just fun,

Andrew Siegwart  15:28  
that's right? Well, to me, it's, you know, when I think of what the brand of Ontario is, or what, you know, what we're known for, I often think of water and lakes, whether it's great lakes or small lakes and and I think we have this great experience to get on a boat and explore places that you don't get to see at all seasons of the year. And I think that makes it even that much more special,

Unknown Speaker  15:50  
for sure. Yeah,

Andrew Siegwart  15:53  
in terms of your visitors, or the people who come to participate in your cruises, have the demographics changed over the years? Or do you still get the same types coming? How does that look?

Ashley Salen  16:04  
Yeah. I mean, we're only four hours from Toronto, so our visitors tend to be, you know, sort of the southwestern Ontario visitors. We have a couple of weeks in this season where we're very busy with folks visiting us from Quebec during their sort of shutdown period, we've always had quite a few Americans coming to visit, whether it be by their own boat or, you know, a land based cruise. Both happen, and then we tend to get quite a few Europeans as well, especially in the fall. So yeah, it's a great mix. And I mean, Roger Brooks was always famous for saying that you can't be everything to everybody, but I truly believe that Topo Mori might be. We have families and we have elderly everything gets attracted to Tobermory for the Bachelor of beauty. So I think it is everything to everybody.

Andrew Siegwart  16:59  
I think it's a really great example. You know, we've been talking a lot lately about the political situation right now and things like tariffs and different markets and and we all know that the Ontario market is so important to all of our businesses, but so too is the US market and our overseas market and the rest of Canada. And I think sometimes people overlook the impact of those other markets to a destination, to many destinations. So thinking about what your business is, I mean, you need all those markets to come, and it drives your business. And what a lasting impact we're leaving on the world, in Canada and in Ontario, right?

Ashley Salen  17:34  
Yes, we're still seeing lots of bookings from US customers for this season. So hopeful that they'll keep coming.

Andrew Siegwart  17:42  
We've been talking a lot about right now, that there's a sense that more Canadians and more Ontarians are going to be traveling a little bit closer to home. There's some anecdotal evidence that bookings are up. You know, are you seeing that same kind of thing right now, or is it still too early to tell?

Ashley Salen  17:59  
I say it's still too early to tell everything right now is, is pre booking that can change on a whim, you know, so. But I think the feedback, like you say, from other tours and industries, is that it's happening, and we're gonna, we're gonna see lots of, you know, domestic travel this year. So that would be great.

Andrew Siegwart  18:16  
I would imagine, like every especially at a place like Tobermory, with what you're offering. It's it's get your tickets as soon as possible, isn't it? Question for you, what was the most sort of surprising reaction that a visitor has had on one of your cruises or experiences? Something stand out where they were just blown away?

Ashley Salen  18:34  
I honestly can't think of one particular instance, but over and over again, we hear about the crystal clear, pristine waters. Everybody says, wow. The colors just look like the Caribbean, you know. So I think I've heard the Bruce Peninsula be referred to as the Caribbean of the North. The water is nowhere near as warm, but it's more beautiful, I would say. So. I think that is the reaction that we get most often.

Andrew Siegwart  19:02  
Yeah, what I love about Georgia May is that the colors are magnificent, but they're never quite the same. The sky never looks the same, and it changes throughout the day. And I think that has a lot to do with the water clarity, but it really is a special place, isn't it? It sure is. So your operation has a certainly an interesting footprint of on land, in water, in and around, sort of historical wrecks and parks and sensitive ecosystem. I would imagine that a big part of your work is on maintaining sustainable practices. So maybe, can you share with us a little bit about what's involved in that and what it takes?

Ashley Salen  19:40  
Sure, yeah. So we work with a with a organization that sort of suggests and maintains our policies for sustainable tourism for us. So we're constantly trying to improve to meet their suggestions. But also we're making decisions. We're saying, Okay, if we're going to invest in whatever the project is. How can this become sustainable? How can it become great for our guests, and how can it be the most safety conscious? So we're playing all of those sort of ideas with each other as we're making decisions, but it's definitely a large factor to every decision we make. There's also a lot going on in the world right now that you know, is moving towards mandating sustainable options, including when we repower the vessels. There's all kinds of rules and regulations that Transport Canada sets forth for us to ensure that their own goals are being met within the country.

Andrew Siegwart  20:37  
Yeah, that's good. So there's, obviously, there's a framework there, and you can probably learn from other operators in other jurisdictions, are you in touch with the folks in the 1000 Islands or in other markets frequently to sort of learn share best practices, or are you all in that competitive space?

Ashley Salen  20:55  
Oh no, no, definitely reaching out to folks in other markets, especially if we know that they have sort of the same propulsion system, or could answer a question for us. I mean, during COVID, we were all very much in touch with who was doing what, what was allowed, what wasn't allowed, that kind of thing. But also the passenger vessel Association of Canada is a great connection to put us all together, and so we can share ideas that way and reach out to folks that way too.

Andrew Siegwart  21:24  
Last year, during the La Salle causeway bridge sort of disruption in Kingston, we were working very closely with the different boat and cruise lines there, and I learned so much about how critical infrastructure is to our operations and federal regulations. Provincial. Do you have any connections with the municipality or local government? Are there shared resources on the water side?

Ashley Salen  21:47  
Not typically shared resources, but when they put together their emergency action plan, of course, all of our vessels were taken into account with how many bodies could be put on these vessels to get to safety, and so we are in touch in ways such as that the municipality runs the harbor that our boats run in and out of little temp Harper and Tobermory, and controls the commercial some of the commercial dock space there. So of course, we work together on those things, but in terms of shared resources, not really, no,

Andrew Siegwart  22:22  
there is a municipal Harbor that you, that you navigate and work with the municipality on big team effort, right? Yes, for sure, I would imagine so running an attraction like cruises or scuba diving. Then, of course, the accommodation side and then the retail side, very different businesses. What is it like, personally to manage all of those at one time?

Ashley Salen  22:46  
Yeah, so it's definitely overwhelming, but like being in the business for 25 years has taught me, everything gets done when it needs to get done, nothing gets done too far ahead of schedule. That's

Andrew Siegwart  22:57  
right, we learn to accept just in time, don't we? Yes, yes, but

Ashley Salen  23:03  
having a really good team around you is very important. You know, we have everybody from managers to captains and first mates to administrators to everybody working the frontline customer service, and they all have to be exceptional. We've assembled that team. So we're excited to get the season going, to get everybody back on site and working together again, because the team is truly amazing. They are what makes the business at the end of the day. So yeah, I can manage all I want, but if there's nobody working all the other positions under then there's nothing gonna happen. So it's a lot to manage, but at the same time, it's great to have a team behind you

Andrew Siegwart  23:45  
absolutely. And it is one of those things where there's so many tasks and responsibilities in each of those, but at the end of the day, you're also there to be an ambassador. You're there to have a good service and to be welcoming. So it's a really unique skill set that you're recruiting every day.

Ashley Salen  24:01  
Yeah, exactly. Lots of people have a focused sort of jurisdiction, like our captains and our first mates. Obviously, they're 100% in charge of navigation of the vessels, so they wouldn't know very much about the accommodation side of the business. But the managers are very overlapping, and the administrative team is very overlapping, and we try to give all of the folks that want the opportunity to cross train between any department they want to work in. It helps them in the future too, right? So

Andrew Siegwart  24:29  
I would imagine, when you're looking at all of the operators in your region, there's probably more job opportunities than there are permanent residents that kind of live in the area. So is recruitment and labor force development a big challenge in Bruce County and in Tobermory?

Ashley Salen  24:46  
Definitely, we have been in the position that we've been able to purchase houses to use for staff accommodations. So we're lucky. We're lucky. I think we're around 47 staff rooms now. Yeah.

Andrew Siegwart  24:59  
Wow, that's a lot, but we

Ashley Salen  25:04  
need every single one of those now. So we have a workforce of about 130 and of that, 47, of them require accommodations from us. So when you look at the percentage, it's not that bad. But we have been recently working very closely with some Co Op programs, and we've been getting lots of students from the hospitality and tourism programs at various colleges and universities around Ontario.

Andrew Siegwart  25:28  
Oh, that's fantastic. Good for you. It's such an important thing to do. It really helps, for

Ashley Salen  25:34  
sure, yeah, and they come very, very mindful of the job and really looking to grow and often they're the ones that are cross training and in many departments, so they can get all kinds of experiences.

Andrew Siegwart  25:48  
And when you're a hospitality student, I mean, what a great experience to work a summer or a season or a number of seasons in one of our iconic destinations, you're going to learn so much. I'm really impressed that you have that type of a staff housing infrastructure. It's very challenging for operators to build that inventory. I know I've spoken with many operators in that neck of the woods, and just there's so many hurdles to getting staff accommodations in place. How did you do that? Were you able to procure properties? Did you build something from scratch?

Ashley Salen  26:20  
No, I don't believe we've ever built any from scratch. I'm just trying to do my inventory. I think it's always, I think it's always been a purchase of a home or another business that's been converted. Most recently, we purchased a stuff house from another operator who wasn't going to be needing stuff housing anymore. Prior to that, we purchased a bed and breakfast of somebody that was looking to retire out of the bed and breakfast. The Bed and Breakfast industry. So, yeah, it just, it's just when, when properties like that come up for sale. But it's also nice to have sort of smaller units the the folks living in them can really become close knit, like a family or really close friends and and get to know each other really well, rather than sort of a dorm style accommodation, where everybody keeps to themselves,

Andrew Siegwart  27:03  
yeah, a little bit of independence. And then also, while you're there, you you have a sense of home, and you are probably more connected to the community, I would imagine, in your work with some of your other colleague, businesses in the region, are there other challenges that business operators face that are sort of unique to Bruce county or the Tobermory region.

Ashley Salen  27:21  
I think one thing about about the workforce that we didn't sort of touch on, is finding skilled workforce in a lot of cases. So a lot of times, we train from within. Quite a few of our captains, our first mates, have been promoted from the deckhand position after many seasons of sea time. So doing lots of internal training is sort of how we end up with our skilled folks, and that seems to work very well for us. It's a way to keep them engaged and a way to keep them here in the community, lots of them that have trained with us and starting families and building houses and stuff now. So it's exciting to see that too.

Andrew Siegwart  28:02  
That's really nice to see. Yeah, you're literally part of creating and building a community now with those types of programs, are they in house, or do you rely on, is there like a particular organization that manages that type of training? How does that work?

Ashley Salen  28:15  
Yeah, so that's we're also very lucky, because that training takes place at Georgian College in the marine division there.

Andrew Siegwart  28:24  
Yeah, yeah. So they have that program, yeah. Georgian does some really great, great programming that's very unique to the region. We just have to make sure that we protect those programs so there hasn't been any pausing of those programs. They're still running and healthy.

Ashley Salen  28:38  
It seems to be from my perspective, we sent three people this winter to courses there, and they didn't have any troubles. So I think, I think the program is healthy.

Andrew Siegwart  28:51  
It is a best practice. The more you can work with your learning institutions and leverage what they have, and probably participate in the program development along the way, but it really helps. So I asked you this already, but what advice would you have for folks who are thinking about making Tobermory one of their staycation destination plans this summer?

Ashley Salen  29:12  
For sure, it's definitely reservations. Making sure that you've you've secured all of your reservations as soon as possible is going to make your trip to tobimori seamless and exactly how you want it to happen without reservations, that you're going to end up in tobari. And I'm pretty frustrated. That's one thing about the reservation system, is those that don't know about it end up frustrated because they didn't pre plan. But if you have your reservations, you're going to have a very enjoyable time in Togo Mori. Be prepared,

Andrew Siegwart  29:43  
as they say, right? What's one hidden gem that most visitors overlook but really shouldn't in the region?

Ashley Salen  29:51  
Honestly, you can get on the Bruce Trail anywhere, and you can hike in any direction, and you're going to be amazed. There's not sort of. One hidden gem. The icons are amazing. They're truly spectacular. But once you've seen them, everybody wants to know what to see next. And my advice always is set out on the Bruce Trail and around every corner, you're going to find the next best Vista, or the next great swimming spot, or you're just going to have an enjoyable day. There's so much to see and do in Tobermory, especially outdoors. So if you have the right weather or the right clothing, you're gonna have an enjoyable time as long as you're outside.

Andrew Siegwart  30:31  
I think what you're really encouraging us all to do is to explore and to find those hidden gems on your own. And that's part of the magic. So that is very good advice. And I will, you know, I think that's something, right we're, we're at this point now where we all want the hot take or the great little tip, and sometimes the best ones are the ones you find on your own, and just by being pointed in the right direction. Like the Bruce Trail is a great one. I use the Bruce Trail conservancy app, and it's one of my most used apps, because you can find every little side trail and every little piece along the way. And I always try to challenge myself to pick one that I've never been on before. And it's so easy to go to your favorites, isn't it, but sometimes the new ones are where it's at. So I think that's a good model for everyone this summer, for sure. Yeah,

Ashley Salen  31:14  
if you wait for somebody to tell you what the best spot is, it's gonna have other people have it.

Andrew Siegwart  31:21  
That's right, it's already been discovered. Well, we all have our missions for summer. That's great. Well, I want to thank you so much for joining us just sharing a little bit more about your operation and the destination, and you can clearly see why your business is so successful and why the destination has that iconic status. I think everything you're doing is just so smart and integrated, and I love hearing your work with the post secondary schools and building your staff housing. It sounds like you've really got a solid plan, and congratulations to that.

Ashley Salen  31:54  
Yeah, thank you working hard to continue providing a great customer experience here in topamore. That's what

Andrew Siegwart  32:00  
it's all about. Well, I will ping you when I visit next and I look forward to seeing you, and think that Sweetwater Bay has got to be on my list for sure,

Ashley Salen  32:09  
definitely very top of the list. Actually,

Andrew Siegwart  32:12  
yeah, yeah, okay. Will do thank you so much. Awesome. Thank you so much. It was so fun. Thanks

Mary Anne Ivison (Voiceover)  32:18  
for listening to forward motion. This show is created by the tourism industry association of Ontario and is recognized by government as the voice of tourism and produced by everyone at the sound off media company you.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai