Turner Valley is the first of what could be several communities hopping aboard a Foothills-wide tourism initiative.
Turner Valley councillors committed $5,600 to support the Foothills Tourism Association, a non-profit initiative aimed to stimulate and grow agri-tourism and rural experiential tourism in the Foothills. Council’s decision was made during its July 15 regular council meeting.
Turner Valley Mayor Barry Crane said he sees great potential for the initiative, particularly following the dissolution of the Calgary Regional Partnership, which he said emphasized building on regional business and tourism attractions.
“They’re looking at expanding the Foothills brand and everything that that encompasses,” Crane said of the association. “To build a brand you need to expose every business in the area so a person can get a full grasp of the area and the culture they’re trying to build, whether it be ranching, arts, distilleries, breweries, builders, everything. They’re working diligently to really push the Foothills as a tourism attraction area and make it a day trip destination.”
Crane said the $5,600 council contributed is based on Turner Valley’s estimated 28 tourism-related businesses.
“Memberships are $200 per business so we will pay those membership and that’s how we’ll justify the donation,” he said. “That’s a direct support of business for Turner Valley council.”
Crane expects the initiative will grow business and reduce taxes.
“Businesses create jobs, which creates more residents and local employment and that is a very important component to small town living,” he said. “Eau Claire (Distillery) is a great example. They’re employing local and those small jobs all add up.”
The Foothills Tourism Association was founded in February after a group of business owners decided to pool their resources to boost business.
It soon developed into a larger vision to represent tourism in Foothills as a whole while driving economic growth and job creation.
The association’s website showcases what Foothills communities have to offer including agri-tourism, history, events, eateries, key attractions and recreation. It also features a trip-planning segment.
Executive director Ryan Lindsay, who moved to Turner Valley from Ontario last year with a background in marketing and tourism, said the association aims to get 600 Foothills businesses on its website.
“We’re trying to market the entire Foothills,” he said. “We’re trying to promote the area as a whole and help businesses. There’s a lot of businesses in the Foothills that don’t have a website and don’t have time for social media. The goal of the board is to create a collective voice for the Foothills.”
Lindsay said several independent marketable businesses don’t have the financial resources for consistent marketing.
That’s where municipalities come in.
Lindsay plans to present the association’s goals, mandate and strategies to all Foothills councils, requesting sponsorship and support.
He said the association came up with the $200 membership fee following discussions with municipal administrative officers.
“Towns supporting us with marketing money shows businesses they’re trying to help out and it supports the initiative,” he said. “If we can get the towns and businesses on board this can take off.”
The next step for the Foothills Tourism Association is marketing. Lindsay said it received a matching marketing grant of $30,000 from Travel Alberta and is currently developing a marketing plan.
In the meantime, Lindsay is going door to door spreading the word to get businesses on board. He’s also reaching out to other avenues to showcase what the area has to offer such as hunting areas, hiking trails, fishing spots and history.
“There are so many unique experiences in the Foothills,” he said. “There’s agri-tourism, arts, cool little shops, plus the driving and the camping. It’s a matter of getting enough awareness and buy-in to keep the momentum going and bring this to fruition.”
Eau Claire Distillery owner David Farran, who’s on the Foothills Tourism Association board of directors, said he’s excited about the initiative’s potential to boost tourism.
“It’s a fantastic initiative,” he said. “It’s a chance to highlight all of the great places to visit in the Foothills and it’s really a way that we can all work together where we can promote it as a destination as opposed to just us individuals where we can’t necessary do the same kind of reach.”
As for the spinoff, Farran expects it to be huge.
“We’ve seen it work so well in other parts of the province in places like the Badlands,” he said. “We’ve already had groups that have come off the website and come to visit us so we know that it works.”
To learn more or get in touch with the Foothills Tourism Association, visit foothillstourism.com
