The sum of small joys...

A normal winter usually promises abundant snow in December and alpine and cross-country areas that are at full capacity at Christmas. If a slight thaw before the New Year disrupts these activities, Mother Nature is expected to quickly restore the conditions.

Faithful visitors rely on this and organize their activities accordingly. Those who travel from further away make reservations well in advance for their stay and are often bound by a deposit. Their fidelity is more or less assured, but once they have arrived their anxiety surfaces.

In December of 2006 not only did it not snow, but it was unusually warm. The snow accumulated in a few good periods of snowmaking was stripped some days later by rain or warm weather. The awakening was brutal for Quebec and New England ski areas. The catastrophe also severely affected many other types of businesses.

However, as is the case with many discoveries, necessity is the mother of invention. The people who remained in the area spent the time they would have normally spent skiing entertaining themselves in other ways. Some unconditional skiers who have been skiing in the area for many years have now discovered the network of hiking trails, the natural lakes on the mountain, and the great vistas surrounding Round Top. Others seized the opportunity to visit the vineyards, the art galleries, and local theatres. They afforded more time to fine dining, bodily relaxation, and shopping. Many businesses and shops registered record sales although the number of visitors to the region this season remained below normal.

This demonstrates a shift of paradigm that must be welcomed with felicity by a tourism region, for it shows that the tourism product has reached a level of diversification considered the basis for major tourism destinations. Visitors will rely on such diversity, as it will instil in them the confidence that they will find interesting activities no matter what Mother Nature has in store for them during their stay.

The variety and the quality of tourism products become an insurance policy that should further be developed so that those assets can be promoted in conjunction with winter and snow-based activities.

This issue of Le Tour highlights felicity, the brief anticipated or unexpected moments of bliss that mark the path to happiness. Then, could total bliss be the sum of little moments of joy? The power to seize them is ours!

Denis Boulanger