(Bower Ponds Recreation)

By Dan Hermanutz and Sheldon Spackman

Working Together

Work continues on Joint Tourism Venture for Red Deer

Jan 26, 2020 | 3:39 PM

Tourism Red Deer has begun a review of its current membership model, with the hopes of a new plan to be presented in 2020.

Vicky Kurz, interim executive director at Tourism Red Deer, says the review looks at both membership and partnership packages and the benefits that go along with them.

“We did launch, last week, our base packaging,” says Kurz. “But a lot of the other things are in waiting until the province sets out its programming for the year.”

Tourism Red Deer and the City of Red Deer have teamed up to create opportunities for both to develop and plan projects together and request more tourism funding for projects and strategies in the future.

Kurz says the Tourism Joint Venture focuses on the roles and responsibilities of the municipality, and for Tourism Red Deer as an entity comprised of the City, County, tourism industry and the region.

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“The focus is on tourism development of experiences, and it also focuses on economic growth and diversification, as well as the environment,” explains Kurz. “The City of Red Deer is going to have two categories, as economic leader and chosen destination. What the joint venture states is that they will do their part in creating that environment for businesses to thrive.”

In addition, Kurz says the City will aim to cultivate innovation and an entrepreneurial spirit, with a focus on the downtown as part of the City’s economy.

The role of Tourism Red Deer, according to Kurz, is to increase year-round visitation, increase visitor spending, and the overall economic impact for the City.

In the past year, Kurz notes City council and the economic development office worked through four workshops to better understand the economic impact of tourism and its benefits.

“Our goal is to create new visitor experiences, and that means travel experiences that are authentic,” she explains. “Not creating new products that visitors can go see, but new experiences so visitors can understand and learn about our history, our food, our culture and outdoor adventure.”

Meanwhile, with the Province looking at doubling visitor expenditures by 2030 according to Kurz, she says Tourism Red Deer will focus on experience development.

Its’s a focus anticipated to work with the City’s plans of hosting more major sporting and cultural events like the upcoming World Juniors in December or the Canada Winter Games last year.

“The City has just released and awarded an RFP for a major sports strategy that will help the organizations involved in sporting events and hosting visitors,” says Kurz. “It will identify their roles and responsibilities within that strategy. We’re looking forward to that part.”

Kurz concludes the Tourism Joint Venture will build on a Destination Management Plan created in 2015, which highlights visitor experience as the main focus for tourism in central Alberta.

With a regional approach and the removal of municipal boundaries, Kurz anticipates the Tourism Joint Venture to allow Tourism Red Deer more flexibility in future projects.