And, if you want to know where that is . . . ask our council.

Over the past four months, Council has had a team of consultants working on a branding strategy to attract tourists to the MidCoast area.

Council’s Consultants, Destination Marketing Store, have conducted a number of discussions with representatives of the Tourism sector and the Business Community, and have been presenting their findings to Council through the open monthly Strategic Meetings.

From all reports from people attending the industry workshops and various meetings and consultations, the approach and progress has been very positive and highly constructive, until the consultants dropped the name that they have developed to brand our region  – The Barrington Coast.

Huh?

We have yet to understand the logic of this idea. Maybe one of the consultants cruised through the beautiful Barrington Tops heritage area on a nice day, and thought what a good idea.  Perhaps the consultants did not know that the area can be closed for months of the year in bad weather, that the village of Barrington has little connection with the  MidCoast Council area, and we have nothing to do with  Barrington Bear or the Lords Barrington. (There were two.)

With three very separate and parochial council areas, it’s hard enough to find an umbrella term for all of us. Great Lakes hates to be lumped in with The Manning, Gloucester is up the hill and out on its own and proud of it. MidCoast is boring and unevocative as a brand. What does the Barrington Coast mean/ Stand for/ Represent?

Apparently, we should be aiming at the women tourist demographic.

Meet Your Man in The Manning? Great Girls’ Nights Out in Great Lakes? Glitz and Glam Grabs the Girls in Gloucester? The Adventure Coast?

Council should run a comp, first prize for coming up with a name, gets a discount on their power bill.

Or, if they fix the roads, stop cutting down beautiful old trees, support and encourage local businesses to be creative and toss out a lot of red tape,  tourists might just find us anyway.