By Sam Borsato - @BorsatoSam on Twitter

Destination Management Plan to create a shared vision for tourism growth

Nov 15, 2016 | 10:44 AM

LETHBRIDGE – The city officially has a plan that will guide tourism development in Lethbridge over the next ten years.
 
City Council approved the Destination Management Plan (DMP) in principle during Monday’s (Nov. 14) meeting.
 
The document came together after a 13-month long planning process led by the Tourism Strategy Committee. It takes a comprehensive look at the city’s target markets, competitive advantages, key tourism experiences and how it will compel people in target markets to visit.
 
The Province of Alberta granted $90,000 to help create Lethbridge’s Destination Management Plan.
 
After a great deal of debate on the issue, council also decided on a stand alone tourism governance organization.
 
“It will be a structure that will focus on tourism industry. So, sports tourism, meeting and conventions, attractions, marketing, product development,” Councillor Bridget Mearns explained.
 
“All of those people who have a vested interest in the success of tourism now have an entity that they can move forward.”
 
Another option, recommended by the Tourism Strategy Committee, proposed integrating all stakeholders under Economic Development Lethbridge. But Mearns says the majority of council members agreed that it didn’t represent the best interest of the tourism industry.
 
“It seemed perhaps not to be as inclusive of the entire industry as it should be… It was a 5-4 vote, so it wasn’t a strong recommendation. It definitely focused more on the people who were on the committee versus the industry as a whole.”
 
City administration has now been tasked to create recommendations on an implementation strategy, including a funding model and transition plan for the new governance organization by April 2017.