Over the past six weeks, the Town of Sylvan Lake – in collaboration with destination development experts tante consulting inc. and Skipti Strategic – has undertaken public engagement and feedback collection to inform a 10-year Destination Management Plan (DMP).
This long-term strategic plan will guide tourism development in the community over the next decade, noted a release.
“The community has demonstrated a strong interest in tourism as a critical economic sector for Sylvan Lake, taking time to offer ideas and opinions on the future of tourism through in-person workshops, interviews, and a public survey that received more than 700 responses between Jan. 31 and Feb. 20.”
Officials point out that the ultimate goal of the DMP is to put the needs, wants, and concerns of the community at the forefront of tourism growth and management.
The next step in meeting that goal is to connect with the community once again to discuss findings from engagement activities and to share potential solutions going forward, said Natasha Bhola, tourism marketing & development coordinator.
The Town invites residents, business owners, and residents from the surrounding area to attend Visioning Sessions as part of the development of the DMP.
There will be two sessions for attendees to choose from for the in-person event held at the Nexsource Centre on March 6.
The first session runs from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. with the second session kicking off at 5:30 p.m. for all members of the public to attend.
Those interested can register on the Town’s website.
There will be a short presentation before opening up the floor for attendees to ask questions and share their feedback, to help refine the vision for the DMP, said Bhola.
“Throughout this process, our priority has been building a tourism plan with the community, for the community,” she said. “These Visioning Sessions are one more step to ensure the community can have their say in the future of tourism at Sylvan Lake.”