Tourism, economic development combined

Canmore Business and Tourism is up and running and open for business.

The newly-named organization combines the mandates of tourism marketing and economic development for the Town of Canmore.

CEO Andrew Nickerson said the new organization has officially been launched in place of Tourism Canmore Kananaskis and Canmore Economic Development Authority, which will be dissolved.

Nickerson said that means Canmore Business and Tourism serves two groups, those who are voluntary members of it as a destination marketing organization, and all businesses in the community who are on the business registry.

“We want to be the natural go-to for businesses,” he said. “All the services CEDA provided to the business registry we will provide.

“We want to make doing business in Canmore easy and looking at innovation and diversification is a way to ensure the long-term health of the community.”

With the merged mandates, Nickerson said, there is opportunity for members of the business registry to have increased awareness of what is occurring to market and promote tourism.

With CEDA being dissolved, Canmore Business and Tourism will now be contracted to provide economic development services, but operate under independent governance.

The expectation is the organization will report on objectives and deliverables to council quarterly and if it is not doing the job, the contract can be cancelled.

“However, I would think it is extremely unlikely we would get to that point,” Nickerson said.

He added it is important for people to understanding the funding model for Canmore Business and Tourism. Business registry fees from the Town of Canmore represent 21 per cent of funding while provincial funding to manage the visitor information centre represents 18 per cent and tourism membership eight per cent.

By far the biggest funder of the organization is the voluntary destination marketing fund at 53 per cent. The DMF represents a number of hotels that have chosen to to put a three per cent surcharge on hotel rooms to fund marketing and tourism initiatives collectively.

Nickerson said a key objective for the dual mandate organization is to look into how Canmore can become less dependent on a single industry to drive its economy while at the same time developing tourism. Health and wellness, arts and culture and events are key areas Canmore Business and Tourism will gear itself towards, he added.

With a new corporate structure and a memorandum of understanding and contract in place with the municipality, Nickerson said the organization has everything in place and is ready to get to work.

“While 2011 was a year of transition and putting plans in place, for 2012 we are looking to deliver on our mandate, which you can imagine is very exciting for all of us,” he said.

With respect to tourism marketing in 2012 the organization has begun a winter campaign called Dare to do it in Canmore and is focusing 74 per cent of its resources to regional campaigns within Alberta.