Chamber President Reports: Tourism Summit Serves Up Food for Thought (And Pretty Decent Chicken)
As your Chamber of Commerce President, I recently braved Edmonton’s February charm to attend the Tourism Industry Association of Alberta (TIAA) Summit. Between battles with drifting snow and ice on the QE 2, I gathered some valuable insights that could help enhance Bragg Creek’s tourism future.
Your Chamber at Work
The Chamber’s presence at these provincial gatherings is crucial – someone has to ask the awkward questions about how small communities like ours fit into Alberta’s grand tourism schemes. The province has ambitions to double tourism revenue by 2035, and the push to spread tourism beyond the usual suspects (sorry, Banff) has put communities like Bragg Creek squarely in the spotlight. We are attracting more notice than you might think, so it is important to harness this on our own terms.
Emergency Preparedness: Not Just Another Buzzword
At a reception I had the opportunity to chat with one of Jasper’s town Councillors about their harrowing experience with forest fires this past summer. They managed to evacuate 20,000 people in five hours and he credited that achievement to years of joint planning involving 3 levels of government. It was a sobering reminder that being prepared isn’t just good business, it’s essential business. Like Jasper, we have multiple government jurisdictions in a very tight area. A fire could quickly move across the boundaries of provincial crown land, Rockyview, Foothills and Tsuut’ina without a care to who is responsible. Your Chamber is taking notes on their multi- level planning approach, because when it comes to emergency preparedness, copying someone else’s homework is actually encouraged.
Economic Insights
ATB has a knack for hiring economists who are also great speakers. Chief Economist Mark Parsons painted an interesting picture of Alberta’s economy. Thanks to our unpredictable neighbour, the global economic uncertainty index is at an all-time high, and predictions made at breakfast seem quaintly dated by lunch. The good news? Interest rates will likely continue to decline in Canada, and tourism is one sector of the economy that should fare well in a trade war.
The Numbers Game
TIAA CEO Darren Reader shared some interesting statistics: government support to the tourism sector equates to $3,100 per job, compared to $7200 for energy and an eye-popping $21,400 per job for the agriculture sector. Housing is the elephant in every room, and affects tourism employees even more than most. The ratio of housing costs to income for tourism employees is 13:1, compared to 7:1 for the general economy. Some of that distortion is caused by wages that are typically below the provincial average, and the rest because the housing market in tourism centres is particularly expensive. Figuring out solutions to staff housing is one of the Chambers priorities.
The AI Revolution (Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bots) Christopher Penn from Trust Insights convinced me that AI isn’t just for generating questionable art and frustrating chatbot conversations. He likened AI to having the smartest, hardest working, and most forgetful intern working for you. It’s great at many tasks, but don’t let any of its creations leave the office without being vetted by senior management’s (human) eyes. If you are reading this and are thinking to yourself “that doesn’t sound like Neil’s normal tone”, it’s because I wrote this with the help of AI tools. AI offers bold new communication opportunities to people like me who are both lazy and talentless.
Business Tourism: The Suit and Tie Opportunity
A key revelation was that 40% of tourism dollars come from business travel. Given our proximity to Calgary and Kananaskis, your Chamber sees an opportunity to position Bragg Creek as the perfect “escape the conference” destination. Conferences tend to be booked 2 or more years in advance and a large part of Tourism Calgary’s efforts are expended attracting business travellers. As a day-trip destination between Calgary and outdoor recreation opportunities we’re well positioned to share in this market. On the subject of conferences, the G7 will be meeting in Kananaskis 10-18 June, placing much of Highway 40 off-limits to travellers. There lies an opportunity to attract people who might have gone to Kananaskis Village.
Music to Our Ears
One presentation emphasized how music tourism ranges from Taylor Swift- scale events to local buskers performing at farmers’ markets. While we probably won’t be hosting the next Eras Tour (never say never), Bragg Creek’s music scene is an asset we can amplify. Over the past 3 decades Bragg Creek has hosted many movies and celebrities. None of these connections are celebrated with plaques or signage. Other towns and cities have made much ado of their connections to beloved singers, actors and cultural touchstones, and we should think about recognizing ours.
Looking Forward
I came away from the summit energized and optimistic, with several ideas to work with:
- Leveraging the upcoming G7 summit to grow awareness of our area
- Working on creative housing and transportation solutions for our hospitality workforce
- Enhancing our digital presence (without becoming overly dependent on our AI overlords)
- Developing and showcasing our connection to music and arts
- Building connections with regional partners like Cochrane Tourism and Travel Alberta
The Bottom Line
The Chamber’s participation in events like the TIAA Summit ensures Bragg Creek’s voice is heard in provincial tourism discussions. While we may be smaller than some tourism destinations, we’re perfectly positioned to benefit from current trends toward authentic, experience-based tourism. Visitors are seeking places where you can get great coffee with a side of deer watching.
The conference also provided valuable face- time with representatives from Cochrane Tourism and Travel Alberta. The ideas and insights garnered from outsiders is vital,as is communicating our concerns and priorities to them.
Your Chamber of Commerce is committed to supporting our tourism sector while preserving the unique character of our small community.
W: visitbraggcreek.com/bragg-creek-chamber
E: Office@braggcreekchamber.com
On behalf of your Bragg Creek & Area Chamber team.
