Shediac businesses launch effort to bring tourists back to Parlee Beach

A group of business owners in Shediac, N.B., have launched a new website they hope will help turn around Parlee Beach’s tarnished reputation among tourists.

The beach has only been closed to swimming once this summer due to poor water quality, but area hotels and restaurants are still seeing a significant drop in business again this season.

READ MORE: Parlee Beach clear for swimmers after warning issued for much of the weekend

Motel owner Luc LeBlanc says 25 per cent of the rooms have sat vacant since the start of the season, and he fears it could get worse.

“I have owned this business for 10 years and last year was the first time that we didn’t make a profit,” LeBlanc said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I have owned this business for 10 years and last year was the first time that we didn't make a profit," LeBlanc said.

LeBlanc has noticed the number of visitors drop drastically since word got out last summer about Parlee Beach’s struggles with water quality testing.

He says despite the province stepping up the quality of its testing, visitors are still staying away.

“The tests were acceptable to a very stringent norm 99 per cent of the time, and yet we are heading into the same thing in 2018. So where is the water issue?” LeBlanc says.

WATCH: Swim advisory in place at Parlee Beach even as province says water quality is fine

2:03 Swim advisory in place at Parlee Beach even as province says water quality is fine

The Shediac Bay Watershed Association has been conducting its own tests of the rivers leading into the bay, and the bay itself.

“The water quality at Parlee has been really good this summer in that there is little contamination from bacteria,” says environmentalist Remi Donnelle of the association.

Yet, he says, there is a misconception among tourists regarding the quality of the water here, which he says meets the Canadian Water Recreation guidelines 98 to 99 per cent of the time.

It’s the poor reputation that has inspired business owners to create a website called Truth Parlee Beach.

“It is not our opinion. It is not our facts. It is the facts based on scientific data and accurate studies,” LeBlanc said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It is not our opinion. It is not our facts. It is the facts based on scientific data and accurate studies," LeBlanc said.

READ MORE: Residents living near Parlee Beach attend open house hosted by province

Those studies are posted in full on the website, and LeBlanc is inviting tourists to read the results for themselves. He says only the poor test results are talked about and people are not getting the whole story.

According to the province, of the 70 swimming days so far this summer, swim advisories due to high bacterial levels have been issued on only two occasions.

Leblanc and his group launched the site last Thursday. They are hoping to get plenty of hits to turn the season around. He makes most of his profits during the month of August, and is hoping the site will help lure people back to the beach.

–With a file from Shelley Steeves