Airdrie’s tourism workers and organizations will be celebrated next week, after Airdrie City council approved a proclamation request at their latest meeting to recognize May 23 to 30 as Tourism Week.
At the same time, Airdrie Economic Development is launching a new campaign to promote local staycation options this summer, as COVID-19 restrictions continue to impact travel.
Shauna Quinn, the City’s tourism development officer, put the proclamation request forward to council on May 17. She said Tourism Week is a national initiative to acknowledge industry partners and raise awareness about the value of tourism to the economy.
“Tourism is an economic driver,” Quinn said after the meeting, adding this is the first year the City has recognized Tourism Week. “It supports jobs, drives infrastructure, propels growth and revitalizes communities.”
According to Quinn, Airdrie is home to many tourism industry workers, from front-line operators to back-of-house manufacturers. She added Airdrie also boasts plenty of airline industry workers, due to the city’s proximity to Calgary International Airport, as well as event managers, lighting and sound technicians, hotel support staff, retailers, food and beverage providers and niche market operators.
Considering the economic benefit of tourism, Quinn said it is important for the City to recognize those workers’ efforts – particularly given the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the tourism sector.
“There’s no question the industry has been turned on its head with cancellations, closings, service restrictions and significant layoffs,” she said. “Two hotels [in Airdrie] faced receivership, and other business closures occurred as well.”
Quinn’s report to council cited statistics from Alberta Jobs, Economy and Innovation, which indicated tourism spending by visitors contributed $8.2 billion to Alberta’s economy in 2019. The province boasted roughly 68,000 tourism jobs that year, according to the statistics, and those workers contributed about $6.5 billion to Alberta’s GDP.
“While there is a lot of uncertainty right now, the resiliency of the industry and those who serve it deserve reverence, beyond question,” she said. “When ready, we hope to come back stronger than ever.”
Quinn also touched on a new campaign the City’s economic development department is kicking off this week, titled ‘Summer Stop: Airdrie.’ She added the campaign will include a staycation-focused guide that encourages residents to “Summer like you’ve never summered before” by supporting local visitor-focused businesses.
“This might not be the summer we were all desperately hoping for, with tropical destinations, festivals and events, or re-uniting with one another, but we should endeavour to make it memorable – to rediscover our community and appreciate [the] small-town feel, great neighbours and plentiful amenities Airdrie has to offer,” she said.
While Airdrie is not necessarily known as a tourist destination, Quinn said the city’s status as a market for visitors has evolved and grown throughout the years. She said Airdrie is considered a “rubber-tire” market, with most of the city’s visitors arriving by car to visit family members or friends, or partake in local community events.
“Airdrie is still in the infantile phases of tourism,” she said. “With that said, now is the time to broaden our visitor economy and attraction efforts to support our local businesses, promote civic pride, and attract new opportunities to Airdrie.”
To learn more about the Summer Stop: Airdrie campaign, Quinn encourages residents to follow Airdrie Economic Development on social media. Throughout Tourism Week, she said the department will be publishing daily appreciation posts of Airdrie’s tourism-focused companies and organizations from May 23 to 30.
She encouraged Airdronians to take part as well by tagging their favourite tourism people, places and spaces that represent the city with hashtags like #TourismCounts #TourismWeek and #Airdrie.
