Bruce County is looking to encourage tourism and local spending through its new app, "Explore the Bruce Rewards."
Jeffrey Loney, manager of economic development, compares it to an arcade.
"Instead of playing games, you get to visit the many areas we have here, whether its activities, experiences or local businesses," said Loney.
Each location you visit, you earn points that can be used for various prizes. The more points you earn, the bigger the prize is that you can choose.
Without giving everything away, Loney said prizes may include Explore the Bruce t-shirts, hats, pens, stickers, and more. The big prizes were left a mystery.
"We wanted to give our visitors another reason to come and visit us," he said. "It was also a really good way for us to ensure people know what we had."
The experiences range from restaurants, stores, hiking trails, and more.
"We know that there's all sorts of things bouncing off us on a given day, whether those are advertisements or other apps," said Loney. "This gives people the opportunity to really connect and feel that sense of accomplishment while they're visiting."
Although the app is really marketed towards visitors, residents can also download it and enjoy its perks. Loney added the process is very easy.
"You go online and download the app and browse for things to do, places to see," he said. "As you go there, it can tell that you're there. It starts to give you those points through the system. Ultimately, you're going to get the chance to browse through what we have, those t-shirts, hats, stickers, pens, et cetera."
Once your prize is picked, it will be mailed to you. All the app requires is your GPS signal on.
Loney said this app is being treated like a pilot project. There's no set timeline for how long it will stick around, but is expected to be available in the upcoming summer and winter months.
If you would like to download the app, you can do so here.
