Beiseker Village council discussed the apparent decrease in tourists in the village and most notably a decrease in campground usage at its June 13 meeting.
“Over the last years, our campground has been used extensively,” Mayor Ray Courtman said. “And over the last three years, attendance and usership has gone down considerably.
“I think maybe people are being lured to other campgrounds in the area.”
According to Councillor Warren Wise, the cost of upkeep on the campground is higher than the amount it’s bringing in.
“When our budget came out this past budget period, I just happened to notice that in fact we were operating the campground at a very slight loss,” Wise said. “It’s not a major amount of money or anything, we’re talking a few hundred dollars.”
Wise said the campground is large and well serviced and should not be operating at a loss.
“I don’t expect it to make a fortune, but surely we should be getting money out of the fact that we have it,” he said.
While council acknowledged Beiseker isn’t necessarily a tourist destination, the village does often get visitors passing through.
“(Tourists) could camp here. They could spend a day or two in Calgary at the Stampede... they could go to Rosebud Theatre, they could go to Drumheller – the Tyrell Museum – and they could go to Airdrie. It’s kind of a central location here,” Courtman said.
Between Squirt the Skunk, the grave of Sam McGee and Beiseker’s rural coziness, Wise said he feels there is a draw for people stopping by.
“It’s a short-term place to come and visit,” he said. “But there are some things to see.”
Courtman emphasized tourism, however small, is good for the village.
“Having people come into the town would hopefully help out our businesses,” he said. “Especially businesses like the hardware store, the grocery store and the pharmacy and the restaurants.”
According to Wise, council is brainstorming ways to increase the number of tourists.
“We’re trying to figure out how we can encourage tourism in the village,” he said. “There’s a few of us playing around with some ideas of what we can do to get greater use out of the campground.”
