Westerner Days is one of many examples of events and attractions the local tourism industry would love to see return sooner than later. (rdnewsNOW file photo)

By Josh Hall and Sheldon Spackman

planting seeds for the future

Local tourism industry will need collaboration to forge ahead successfully

Mar 28, 2021 | 10:59 AM

Collaboration will be key for Alberta’s and Red Deer’s tourism industry to bounce back following the pandemic.

Tourism Red Deer’s executive director, Rene Rondeau, says forging ahead is going to take a lot of teamwork after a year that took a sizable bite out of an industry still losing big money.

The organization held its Annual General Meeting this week, and discussed plans for 2021 and beyond, which includes creating unique tourism experiences for residents to enjoy their own backyards once restrictions are a thing of the past.

“We know people want to travel to certain destinations, but now is perhaps a time to think outside the box,” says Rondeau. “We can pretend we’re in a different town and explore Red Deer in different ways.”

Booking a night’s stay at a local hotel, or renting a hotel’s pool for an hour, are a couple ideas for people to support local, even now.

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“Tourism is supposed to be fun, and right now it’s not, but when we get out of this thing, we want to be ready to invite people to our neighbourhoods and community,” he says. “This is why we cringe when the COVID numbers go back up. We want to get this industry churning again.”

Tourism Red Deer has a diverse membership, stretching as far east as Stettler where Alberta Prairie Railway Excursions is a member.

Rondeau also applauds the craft beer industry for setting an example for how other sectors can prosper now and in the future.

“That is a great example of collaboration. They work together, not against each other,” he says. “Look at Craft Beer Commonwealth; that’s a bunch of breweries working together to create a cool entity.”

In 2019, Alberta’s tourism industry employed 68,000 people and brought in $6.5 billion to the province’s GDP. Those numbers were down drastically in 2020, but Travel Alberta says on its website that the visitor economy holds great promise as a core pillar of economic diversification.

The industry, “will rebound,” the provincial tourism authority says.

According to a weekly Destination Canada COVID-19 resident sentiment survey conducted March 2, 55 per cent of Albertan respondents indicated they feel safe to travel to other provinces, up drastically from the week prior. Perceived safety was lowest when thinking about travelling to the United States. and elsewhere internationally. Just 22 per cent of Albertans said they’d feel safe visiting the U.S.

The most recent Alberta Tourism Market Monitor Watch, shared by the Government of Alberta, shows unemployment in tourism is at 16.2 per cent. Meantime, Red Deer’s hotel occupancy rate was down to 15.5 per cent in January from 20.6 per cent last November. Average daily room rate and revenue per available room were also down.

“To get through this next year, it’s going to be one where we have to plant the seeds of the future for tourism, and we must work together in planting this garden,” Rondeau adds, noting that Tourism Red Deer will be setting up committees focused on such things as food tourism, hospitality, outdoor rec, and arts, culture and heritage.

“We’ve done a good job with reinventing the wheel with curbside services and restaurants were able to change the game. We have a lot of great things in our own backyard, so when the doors open, the garden will be ready to be picked and people will be able to explore.”

More information is at VisitRedDeer.com.

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