Tourism Nanaimo will shutter the visitors’ centre along the Nanaimo Parkway this weekend and move to downtown Nanaimo in the new year.
In a press release, Tourism Nanaimo stated the Northfield Road visitor information centre will permanently close Saturday, Dec. 23, and relocate to the Vancouver Island Conference Centre at 101 Gordon St., opening at the new location on March 1.
The move is intended to “improve access to visitor centre services for visitors to Nanaimo, particularly foot traffic, as well as promoting patronage” from area businesses and services, the press release noted.
Carly Pereboom, Tourism Nanaimo executive director, said the current location “primarily catered to travellers passing through Nanaimo” to other areas of the Island and wasn’t conducive to assisting people coming to Nanaimo for business and recreation. The move will lead to increased accessibility and visibility, she said.
“The Vancouver Island Conference Centre provides an ideal location for this move, given its proximity to some of Nanaimo’s most popular tourist attractions, including the nearby art gallery and museum, which consistently draw a significant number of tourists,” she said in the press release.
Pereboom told the News Bulletin the City of Nanaimo owns the centre and it hasn’t been decided what its fate will be.
“There has been discussions about using it as a different community space, potentially working with [Vancouver Island University], it’s hard to say at this point, but they’re definitely exploring ways to make use of that property,” she said.
From Jan. 8 to March 1, visitors will be able to access service by calling 250-751-1556, e-mailing info@tourismnanaimo.com.
For more information, visit http://tourismnanaimo.com.