Borden-Carleton as a tourist destination: Your comments

A hotel close to the beach, an old ferry transformed into a restaurantand boat tours under the Confederation Bridge.

Those are just three of the ideas readers ofCBC PEI's Facebook page came up with when asked how they would make Borden-Carleton more of a tourist destination.

• Borden-Carleton, P.E.I., wants visitors to see beyond the bridge

The town, after all, is the first impression of P.EI. visitors get when they cross the bridge, and residents and businesses in the area want that to be a good impression.

A local group recently received a grant from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency to hire a consultant to explore tourism options for the area.

Meeting Tuesday night

A meeting is being held at the Visitor Information Centrein Borden-Carleton Tuesday at 7 p.m. to discuss some of those options.

But not before our readers weighed in on Facebook with some of their own suggestions.

(Please note that usernames are not necessarily the names ofcommenters. Some comments have been altered to correct spelling and to conform to CBC style.)

Start by fixing up Gateway Village, many were quick to say.

"Gateway Village was pretty good when it was new,"writes Liam Cronin. "Now, it's looking kind of worn."

The first thing people see when they exit the bridge is the "eyesore" of the abandoned go-kart track, saidDaryaRogerson.She thinks it's time to replace it with something with more "curb appeal."

The area needs a hotel one that offers a free bridge pass for staying there, addsGladys Kenny.She suggests upgrading Gateway Village with a "vintage" look and making it a festival town all summerwith bike trails, a farmers' market, campgroundsand concert area featuring local musicians every night.

Trevor Billard agrees with the hotel idea, especially if it has swimming pool, is close to the beachand offers nice views of the bridge.

'More to life than Timmie's'

Others suggest a need formore restaurants because, as Barbara Joslincommented, "There is more to life than Timmie's."

Heather Scott has an interesting idea: "Why not try to get an old ferry and convert it into a restaurant? Locals would use it and tourists could get an almost 'ferry experience.'"

Kathryn Thompson suggests something like the Masstown Market in Nova Scotia. "That place is awesome," she said, "and open year round."

Justin Rogers believes the area could take better advantage of the bridge by offering boat tours that go under it. "The travelling public only ever gets to see the bridge from the above perspective. Why not below looking up? To me, that would be a great draw."

Bike shop by the trail

A bike shop would also be a good fit for the area, saidMark Hickox. "The Confederation Trail spur goes there, why not set up a bike shop (with repair services) and let folks rent bikes for a day?"

But if the area is looking for feedback, Alexander MacKay thinks an old idea is still a good idea.

"Why not ask people when they leave, like they used to do when the boat was there? Exit surveys are a great opportunity to learn from others. Give them some free oysters if they answer."

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