Recognizing that BC Ferries鈥� fare increases and the cost of gasoline are a 鈥渄ouble whammy鈥� on island tourism, a group of Comox Valley B&B Association members have joined together.

They are offering deeper discounts and incentives to entice visitors

to the Comox Valley from the Lower Mainland, neighboring islands, and southern part of Vancouver Island.

The new website at http://bestcvbbs.com was launched Nov. 1. It  provides information on the discounts and incentives. These discounts are on top of the already-reduced off-season rates.

According to Colleen Torrie, president of the Comox Valley B&B Association, 鈥淲hile not all members of our association are choosing to participate in this marketing program, we hope that this effort will reflect positively on the entire industry.

"We all work together to get encourage visitors to experience the difference between a stay at a motel or hotel and a more personalized B&B stay where owners are actually ambassadors for

the area and provide a wealth of information for visitors in a home-away-from-home setting.鈥�

Haideh Jordan, association vice-president, adds, 鈥淭his new 鈥榮pecials鈥� program is timed perfectly for the winter, with our hope of encouraging people who want to ski or snowboard at Mount Washington to stay here in the Valley 鈥� enjoying the snow by day and the rest that our Valley has to offer apr猫s-ski.鈥�

For more information on the CVBBA, visit http:/comoxvalleybb.com.  For information on the select group of B&Bs, check out particihttp://bestcvbbs.com.

鈥� Comox Valley B&B Association