Word spreads of Prince Rupert's unique tourist attraction

It's the kind of publicity that you just can't buy, a review of a unique travel experience that could help bring a high volume of travellers to the Northwest this summer season.

The Ottawa Citizen and Canwest News service has featured Prince Rupert Adventure Tours excursions into the Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary, highlighting the 100 person boat operated by West Coast Launch that makes the trek into the land of the Grizzly bear.

The Khutzeymateen trip was among ten must see tourist destinations featured in this weekends travel package of the Canwest chain, an opportunity that will provide wide notice of what the region has to offer to all of Canada's largest cities as well as the secondary markets of the chain and the wider world on the world wide web.

In addition to the excursions into the Grizzly Bear Sanctuary, the article also touched on the BC Ferries links to Vancouver Island and VIA Rail's northern route into Prince Rupert, a bit of extra coverage that can't help but provide some inquiries about other opportunities for visitors as they head to the Northwest.

The full article can be found from the Ottawa Citizen's website, or you can read the Prince Rupert section below.

BRITISH COLUMBIA 
SEE GRIZZLIES, SAFELY -- AND AFFORDABLY:

 Prince Rupert Adventure Tours, a company that's been operating since 1988, has launched a 100-passenger boat that will take you down rugged fiords into the Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary -- home of the largest population of grizzly bears anywhere on Earth. The six-hour trips cost $155 for adults, $135 for children -- box lunches included -- and are likely to get up close to orcas, eagles, seals, mountain goats and spectacular scenery even before you reach the sanctuary, where the catamaran will keep a respectable distance from shore to protect you and the endangered bears.

HOW TO GET TO PRINCE RUPERT: You have a couple of spectacular options. You can take a B.C. ferry from Port Hardy, on the northern tip of Vancouver Island. The 18-hour, all-daylight trip has been called the poor man's Alaska cruise.

Or you can take the train from Jasper to Prince Rupert, B.C. -- in Via's "Totem Deluxe" class, all the cars have domes for sensational sightseeing.

See www.westcoastlaunch.com or 1-800-201-8377.