With the public showing of the Tourism Master Plan draft last Tuesday night, valley tourism operators got a glimpse of the near finished guide to developing a unified tourism approach for Drumheller.
“We have a real good guide to get us into the future now,” says Mike Todor, a downtown business owner and member of the committee. “I think we’re sitting at a time where we have lots of opportunity, more than other towns our size. We now have a guide on how to take advantage of our situation.”
“The nice thing was they gave us suggestions on how to make it happen,” says the town’s economic development officer Ray Telford. He says after the plan is finalized in a month, a ‘destination marketing organization’ will most likely be formed. This organization, with members from tourist attractions, the town, and the chamber of commerce, will use the plan to advance marketing of Drumheller to ultimately expand and develop tourism in the valley.
“The real professionals in tourism are the ones who operate businesses. They’ll be the ones who have to make it work,” says Telford. “Because it’s their businesses, and the more successful they are, the more successful the entire town is.”
After the master plan is finalized, more input will be sought from tourism stakeholders to find the best way to form the destination marketing organization.
“We’re on the road to a lot of places, and the future should be pretty bright from here,” Todor said.
The plan outlined managing priorities: strengthen the leadership role of the tourism industry; use research to build insight, track performance, guide decisions, and inform prospective investors; continually invest in upgrades to the quality of the tourism infrastructure; grow the business and experiences that create a reason to visit Drumheller; develop regional tourism nodes and corridors that connect them; reinvigorate the downtown core as a distinctive destination and hub by creating a Town Centre District that celebrates Drumheller; competitively and corroboratively market the town and the valley experience to grow visitation and tourism expenditures; and ensure municipal policies support a strong, self-reliant, profitable, and innovative tourism industry.
“It is critical that the community as a whole recognize the importance of tourism to the town as an employer, revenue generator and a contributor to the quality of life and is unconditionally committed to the continued development of the town as a primary tourist destination,” Malone Given Parsons said in the report.
