canadian badlands region

Transcription

1 2017 annual report

2 Airdrie CALGARY canadian badlands region Donalda Buffalo Lake Provincial Recreation Area Rochon Sands Provincial Park Big Knife Provincial Park RED DEER Stettler Halkirk Castor OF PAINTEARTH Gooseberry Lake Provincial Park Dry Island Buffalo Jump OF STETTLER Big Valley Coronation Consort Bigelow Reservoir Provincial Recreation Area Torrington KNEEHILL Linden Trochu Three Hills Rowley STARLAND Bleriot Ferry Provincial Recreation Area Delia Hanna Prairie Oasis Park Youngstown SPECIAL AREA #4 Acme Beiseker Irricana Carbon Horseshoe Canyon Provincial Recreation Area Midland Provincial Park Wayne Rockyford Rosebud DRUMHELLER East Coulee SPECIAL AREA #2 Blood Indian Park Cereal SPECIAL AREA #3 WHEATLAND Standard Strathmore Hussar Oyen Acadia Valley ACADIA MD Empress 2

3 Lake McGregor Provincial Recreation Area Tillebrook Provincial Park Kinbrook Island Provincial Park Little Bow Provincial Park Park Lake Provincial Park Jensen Reservoir Provincial Recreation Area CANADA Coutts Sweet Grass US Dinosaur Provincial Park SASKATCHEWAN Mossleigh Cluny SIKSIKA NATION Bassano OF NEWELL Duchess Rosemary Patricia Vulcan Milo VULCAN BROOKS Scandia Vauxhall LETHBRIDGE Nobleford Coaldale Taber MD OF TABER LETHBRIDGE Magrath Raymond Stirling WARNER Warner Cardston Milk River CYPRESS Redcliff MEDICINE HAT Bow Island Elkwater Cypress Hills Provincial Park FORTY MILE Foremost Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park Port of Whitlash MONTANA Port of Wild Horse 3

4 letter from the canadian badlands tourism president Canadian Badlands has had another fulfilling year engaging Shareholders, creating partnerships and working together to build a thriving tourism industry in the Canadian Badlands. With the steadfast leadership of our Board of Directors and the enduring cooperation between the Government of Alberta, Travel Alberta and many other tourism stakeholders, we have been resilient in sustaining our tourism brand in a challenging economy. A variety of projects undertaken in 2017, demonstrated once again the diversity of our many tourism offerings and the importance of functioning as a collaborative organization to promote this unique region as an iconic Alberta tourist destination. In 2017, the focus of Canadian Badlands Tourism continued to be on strengthening relationships with our communities and tourism partners by providing valuable resources that enabled Shareholders to more effectively implement their initiatives. We assisted with the planning of many projects, including pheasant festivals, consumer events, an educational experience and nine informational webinars. Canadian Badlands Tourism s Shareholder Product Development Committee, led by Doran Degenstein, and our Marketing Committee, headed by Terri Kinsmen, identified opportunities to assist with new product development this year which included guided tours throughout the Badlands with Prairie Sprinter, a shuttle service and tour company in Medicine Hat; a Mountain Biking Trail in Redcliff; a Culinary event in Stettler; and a social media educational program in Special Areas, Lethbridge and Medicine Hat. The Regional Marketing Campaign continues to grow awareness of the Canadian Badlands brand with creative approaches that engage community members and visitors alike. We continued the innovative Spirit of the Badlands tour with well-known musician, actor and humanitarian Tom Jackson as our ambassador. He traveled to many communities in the summer of 2017, connecting with special people and places throughout the Canadian Badlands. The tours were accompanied by writers, bloggers and photographers who depicted the essence of those who call the Canadian Badlands home. These stories were distributed worldwide on social media networks and received positive reviews from potential visitors to our region. Our partnerships with Travel Alberta, Canalta Hotels and Heritage Inn Hotels was very successful in boosting visitation, and had a considerable impact on our regional economy which directly translates to more investment opportunities and job creation in Canadian Badlands municipalities. Canadian Badlands Tourism launched an Influencer Program that featured personalities with significant numbers of social media followers, and Canadian Badlands residents were invited to join in as ambassadors. Community members showcased amazing happenings in their area and connected with neighboring communities. These efforts allowed Canadian Badlands to further our efforts to position this region as a must visit destination. 4

5 Canadian Badlands Tourism recognizes the enormous support from those who contribute financially and who assist with decision making for our unique organization, including our 60 municipal Shareholders, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism as well as our Board of Directors and Executive Committee Members. As we move forward, Canadian Badlands Tourism continues to review our operating model to identify new revenue streams that will take us to a financially sustainable platform. The goal is to ensure that we have a sustainable long-term plan to meet the needs of our Shareholders. In the summer of 2017 the Canadian Badlands Board of Directors established a strategic plan, including the following: VISION: Canadian Badlands Tourism is recognized as the go-to organization known for its collaborative and dynamic approach to fostering regional tourism. MISSION: Canadian Badlands Tourism is a Destination Management Organization focused on the development of regional tourism in the Canadian Badlands area of Alberta. GOALS: 1. Expertise and resources in regional tourism 2. Collaboration to leverage tourism opportunities 3. Expanding members engagement/participation 4. Enhancing the Canadian Badlands brand/awareness 5. Organizational effectiveness and sustainable funding Lastly, I wish to acknowledge the many contributions made by our small and dedicated team of professionals who are the backbone of Canadian Badlands Tourism. We would not have been able to accomplish so much in the past year without the leadership and teamwork of Lonna Hoggan s administrative management and Shareholder relations, and the administrative assistance of Diana Watson. In September we had the unfortunate loss of Christopher McLellan and his marketing and development expertise. Canadian Badlands Tourism sincerely thanks all of you. Respectfully submitted on behalf of the Board of Directors, Barry Morishita, President, Canadian Badlands Tourism 5

6 current shareholders of canadian badlands ltd. as of march MD of Acadia No Village of Acme 3. Village of Arrowwood 4. Village of Beiseker 5. Village of Big Valley 6. Town of Bow Island 7. City of Brooks 8. Village of Carbon 9. Town of Cardston 10. Town of Castor 11. Village of Cereal 12. Town of Coaldale 13. Village of Consort 14. Town of Coronation 15. Village of Coutts 16. Cypress County 17. Village of Delia 18. Village of Donalda 19. Town of Drumheller 20. Village of Duchess 21. Village of Empress 22. Village of Foremost 23. County of Forty Mile No Village of Halkirk 25. Town of Hanna 26. Village of Hussar 27. Town of Irricana 28. Kneehill County 29. City of Lethbridge 30. Village of Linden 31. Town of Magrath 32. City of Medicine Hat 33. Town of Milk River 34. Village of Milo 35. County of Newell 36. Town of Oyen 37. County of Paintearth No Town of Raymond 39. Town of Redcliff 40. Village of Rockyford 41. Village of Rosemary 42. Special Areas #2 43. Special Areas #3 44. Special Areas #4 45. Village of Standard 46. Starland County 47. Town of Stettler 48. Village of Stirling 49. Town of Strathmore 50. MD of Taber 51. Town of Taber 52. Town of Three Hills 53. Town of Trochu 54. Town of Vauxhall 55. Vulcan County 56. Town of Vulcan 57. County of Warner No Village of Warner 59. Wheatland County 60. Village of Youngstown 6

7 canadian badlands ltd. board of directors & staff as of march 2018 Barry Morishita President Mayor, City of Brooks Brian Varga (2) Vice President Councillor, City of Medicine Hat George Glazier (1) Secretary Councillor, County of Paintearth Jeff Carlson (3) Treasurer Councillor, City of Lethbridge Anne Marie Philipsen (2) Director Councillor, City of Newell Ken Kultgen (2) Director Mayor, Village of Foremost Doran Degenstein (3) Product Development Committee Chair Lethbridge Terri Kinsman (1) Marketing Chair Rocking R Guest Ranch Heather Colberg (1) Member-at-large Mayor, Town of Drumheller Lonna Hoggan Administrative Manager Canadian Badlands Ltd. Diana Watson Administrative Assistant Canadian Badlands Ltd. (1) North Central Region (2) Southeastern Region (3) Southwestern Region 7

8 canadian badlands voting boundaries map Stettler Donalda STETTLER Big Valley Halkirk Castor OF PAINTEARTH Coronation NORTH CENTRAL REGION SOUTHEASTERN REGION SOUTHWESTERN REGION Consort Trochu SPECIAL AREA #4 Acme Beiseker Irricana Three Hills KNEEHILL Linden Carbon Strathmore Rockyford Standard STARLAND DRUMHELLER WHEATLAND Hussar Delia Hanna SPECIAL AREA #2 Youngstown Cereal SPECIAL AREA #3 Oyen ACADIA MD Empress Rosemary Duchess Milo BROOKS Vulcan VULCAN OF NEWELL CYPRESS Redcliff LETHBRIDGE Vauxhall MD OF TABER Bow Island MEDICINE HAT Coaldale Taber Cardston LETHBRIDGE Magrath Raymond Stirling WARNER Warner Milk River Foremost OF FORTY MILE Coutts 8 canadian badlands 2018 conference program

9 canadian badlands tourism projects 1. Development of Birding in the Canadian Badlands Facilitation and further development of the regional birding guide with the Grasslands Naturalists. Connecting Badlands communities, birding locations, layering in tourism services and assisting with promotion. The new Birding Guide is in circulation. 2. Pheasant Festivals Continued support of existing festivals and assist in the implementation of one new festival in the Canadian Badlands region. A new festival event took place in the Village of Rosemary/ County of Newell. 3. Filthy Hands Festival Development of an annual one-day heritage arts and music festival, at the Medicine Hat Brick and Tile Site in the Medalta Historic Clay District. The event included contemporary music, craft and culinary experiences that attracted an interprovincial audience. The pilot took place in the shoulder season and was well attended. 4. Sports Tourism Assist with the development of a Sports Council in Medicine Hat. Engage with other stakeholders in and around Medicine Hat to assist in the establishment of a Sports Council for the city that will be tasked with seeking out opportunities to bring sports tourism to the area. 5. Ambassadors Program Phase II of the Tourism Ambassador Program allowed us to engage many more communities, to teach social media, connect Shareholder members and generate content for various purposes online or in print. Twenty one ambassadors in three communities generated 850 images, 46,000+ engagements, reaching a potential audience of 945,000+. Beyond real-time social media and traditional media exposure on ambassador channels, the Canadian Badlands Tourism team was able to utilize the imagery and video content on their own social platforms. The user generated content increased the #MyBadlands content by over 10%. 9

10 6. Best Practises Mission Participants on this project experienced the research and development of tourism product/collaboration and revitalization of communities, businesses and leaders in tourism best practises. Mission participants were engaged by 29 presenters in a 5-day trek across the province of Newfoundland and many learnings were obtained. 7. Professional Development for Canadian Badlands Tourism Attractions A series of nine webinars were scheduled from November 2017 to February Given the distance of our municipalities from program officers offices, Canadian Badlands Tourism used new communications technologies to provide information on tourism development resources and potential funding sources to tourism attractions and operators in the region. Using video conferencing technology, Canadian Badlands offered a series of nine webinars on a variety of tourism development topics based on the needs of the municipalities, businesses, and not-for-profit organizations. 8. Regional Campaign Coordination Coordination of the Canadian Badlands Marketing Campaign. Destination Marketing Fund monies were used to elevate awareness of the Canadian Badlands region and brand, increasing overnight leisure stays, driving tourism traffic into communities, and improving attendance to attractions and events. 10

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