Sylvan Lake’s ongoing drive to become a year-round destination was given a boost by the province.
The town was one of 13 recipients, along with in Central Alberta the Red Deer Visitor and Convention Bureau, given financial support from the Tourism Growth Innovation Fund.
Vicki Kurz, Sylvan Lake economic development officer, said the money — as well as $25,000 in town funds — is being used to help put the results of a festival and events strategy into action.
A contract has already been awarded to consultants to pull together a working group that will look at how best to broaden the town’s tourism appeal.
“We will have a festival and event summit to brainstorm and put together festival and events to attract visitors in the off-season,” said Kurz.
“We are looking to increase our overnight occupancy and obviously support business viability throughout the year.”
Part of the project will involve looking at what has worked in other communities and developing a template that can be used for event hosting to help organizers reach maximum audiences and avoid common pitfalls.
“A lot of people who put on events go in the hole,” she said. “We’re looking at putting recurring events in the off-season that are sustainable, that at minimum, break even.”
Kurz said the focus is not on leaving it up to the municipality to run events, but instead to come up with community-led prospects.
“We’re trying to take it to another level basically.”
Red Deer Visitor and Convention Bureau received $35,000, which will go towards developing a strategy with area partners to manage and prioritize the best business, cultural and sports event prospects.
“This money will help us build that plan and take it forward,” said bureau executive director Liz Taylor.
“The main goal is to start a discussion with all of the community partners to develop a more structured sports and event framework so that we can grow.”
In announcing the funding, Culture and Tourism Minister Ricardo Miranda said the goal is to help expand tourism in the winter and shoulder seasons.
“This will attract more people to Alberta and inspire them to explore off the beaten path to find our hidden gems.”