The new executive director of Tourism Red Deer has already caught of the eye of the province in only three days on the job.
Last weekend, Liz Taylor received the inaugural Lifetime Rural Champion Award at the 11th annual Growing Rural Tourism conference at the Camrose Regional Exhibition.
Aspen Crossing of Mossleigh received the Rural Tourism Champion Award, recognizing an individual or organization showing commitment to rural tourism in their business.
“It’s nice to be recognized,” said Taylor. “It’s touching to be recognized but that’s not why I do the work that I do.
“The ideas that I have or that get developed through conversations and that sort of thing, you don’t expect it to come back to you. You need to give it away. That’s what I see my role is as a facilitator and a coach. And you don’t expect that recognition to come back.”
Taylor started her new position in early April, replacing Darren Kuz, who left to work with the City of Red Deer.
Taylor has worked in tourism since 1990, and spent the last 12 years as managing director with Travel Alberta’s regional marketing unit in Edmonton, where she helped develop a number of programs, including the Travel Alberta Speaker Series.
She has been a member of the organizing committee of The Growing Rural Tourism Conference since it began in 2001.
The potential of the industry is what keeps Taylor with her nose to the grind.
“There’s so much to be done,” she said.
“It’s a combination of teaching them the skills that they need, bringing the groups together and facilitating their growth.”
She names launching the Travel Alberta Holiday Card and the strong relationships with small businesses across the province as proud moments in her 21 years in the industry.
crhyno@www.reddeeradvocate.com