TWG lists key achievements

So, what has Tourism Wells Gray been up to this last year? Well, if you were at the Tourism Wells Gray annual general meeting on April 7 you would have heard all about it. If not, we will just touch on some key achievements.

The annual general meeting was a great opportunity for tourism operators and businesses to connect and share ideas. There was a fantastic presence from the tourism sector, with a lot people sharing ideas and connecting with each other. Also, the 2009 Annual Report, was presented by the tourism and marketing manager Heather Steere.

Amongst the organization's key achievements was the design of a new website. The website offers free profiles to all tourism operators and is kept on top of the search engines. TWG also developed a marketing brand that represents all that our area has to offer and drives curiosity. The brand is available for tourism operators to use (contact Heather Steere for details). TWG purchases bulk advertising and provides more affordable advertising opportunities for operators, while implementing various advertising promoting the Wells Gray tourism industry to relevant markets. Through various trade shows and conferences, TWG connects and builds key industry linkages which opens up new opportunities for sharing information and advertising. TWG also hosted the Ride Guide - a television program focusing on our winter product that is viewed in 55 million homes worldwide!

TWG has also entered the realm of social media, by hosting two social media courses for operators and providing a platform for operators to connect with potential visitors through Facebook and Twitter.

Moving forward in 2010, Tourism Wells Gray has a newly

elected Board, which stands as follows

? Hazel Wadlegger, TNRD (Wells Gray Country Services Committee)

? Councilor Christy Dobi, District Of Clearwater (vice-chair)

? Tay Briggs, Information Wells Gray

? Mike Rowden, BC Parks area supervisor (treasurer)

? Tina Donald, Simpcw First Nations?

? Ted Richardson - Chamber of Commerce (chair)

? Jon Kreke, accommodation and food sector

? Gy Ovenden, guiding and activities sector

? Gord Jones, park use permit holders

? Sandie Robinson, Tourism at Large (Secretary)

? Leslie Groulx, Economic Development and Corporate Administrator, District of Clearwater

? Sherri Madden, Wells Gray Country Services Committee Coordinator

These individuals represent each sector of the tourism industry in our area, and are your contacts for thoughts and concerns. We would also like to send a sincere thanks to Tay Briggs who has been our chair for two years, and the valuable insight and leadership she has brought to the organization. Continued on A3 Continued from A2

In addition also a huge thanks to Andrew Nelson, Merlin Blackwell and Robert Beaudry for their contribution and the expertise.

So, what is Tourism Wells Gray planning for the future? Well, due to the complexity of the tourism industry as it's made up of so many different elements - a key priority for TWG in 2010 is developing a comprehensive inventory of the tourism product within Wells Gray Country. With a thorough knowledge of our tourism industry, TWG can better serve the needs of our operators and businesses, by being responsive to changes in trends, taking advantages of opportunities as they arise, and targeting the right audiences at the right time. Other priorities also include researching how much money tourism brings to our community, building strong marketing partnerships with our neighboring communities within the region, and developing tourism packages within the valley. These are just a few planned initiatives. For more information please contact Heather Steere, details are at the end of the article.

A key discussion that took place at the AGM was the need to secure funding for our marketing organization. It was felt, that since 55 communities across BC have the Additional Hotel Room Tax in place that enables them to provide so much more for their communities, TWG needs to do the same in order to keep up and provide the marketing that our area deserves. There is so much we can achieve, and so much more benefit we can bring to Clearwater and Wells Gray with the additional funding, and we need to move forward. Within our region, Kamloops, Sun Peaks, and Valemont have the Additional Hotel Room Tax hotel tax. Our neighbor to the south, Barriere, has also identified the benefits of the taxation and is moving forward in implementing it. Consultation with tourism industry on the timing of the Additional Hotel Tax is being pursued.