Star Trek fans need go no further than Alberta, Canada to visit Vulcan.

As reported in the Vulcan Advocate, the town of Vulcan, Canada had found that its name is a tourist draw. "Vulcan is a destination, a place that people seek out, not somewhere people just happen to pass by," said Dayna Dickens, Vulcan tourism coordinator. "They're ready to get out, look around and stretch their legs and they're looking for an experience. They're asking for that, and we don't have a lot to send them to."

Dickens wants to change that and is trying to convince local businesses to add Star Trek touches when possible. Local restaurants, for example, could do things such as having Star Trek-themed menus in "alien languages". "I'm not proposing we turn downtown into a space port," said Dickens. "That might be a little extreme for the community at large." The tourist office would work with interested businesses, some of whom have shown an interest.

Businesses are not averse to the idea, as long as the cost is modest. Lillian Duxbury, owner of Scrapbook Café and a Star Trek fan, said "Anything to help bring business into town would be beneficial." A local branch manager of a savings and credit union, Sherri Hosker, said "I'm not a Star Trek fan either, but that’s what draws people here."

The Vulcan and District Chamber of Commerce hopes to get at least one-third of the business owners to use the Star Trek theme in their businesses, calculating that it would be enough to draw tourists to their town. "That's enough to get people to come," said Hosker, who belongs to the Chamber of Commerce. "...once we get people coming, the others will buy in eventually."

Vulcan offers a Tourism and Trek Station, where visitors are greeted by the Captain and a crew on the "Bridge" of the "Starship Enterprise". At the entrance to town, a replica of the Starship Enterprise, built in 1995 welcomes visitors. Vulcan hopes to host the December 2008 world premiere of Star Trek XI.

For more on Vulcan, go to the article located here.

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