A follow up meeting on the Regional Tourism Initiative confirmed the resolve of participants to promote the riches of Humboldt and surrounding communities. Whether it’s parks, golf courses, natural beauty, historic and artist places and events, the area has many tourism and economic attractions. It’s the mission of the group to let the world know about it.
The Zoom meeting was hosted by the Humboldt and District Chamber of Commerce. Those in attendance included representatives from the Chamber of Commerce in Melfort, recreation in Wynyard, the City of Humboldt, Saskatchewan Sports and Culture, and other regional interest groups. At the height of the summer tourist season, other representatives expressed their regrets, but they expressed a continued interest in the marketing project.
“A real win, I think, was having Cory Dustyhorn of the Kawacatoose First Nation there. Having that kind of partnership involved going forward is critical,” said Brent Fitzpatrick, Chamber director and moderator for the meeting. “There has to be involvement from our Indigenous friends from our area. Taking a regional approach includes all of the First Nations.”
Much of the discussion revolved around the best mechanisms for marketing. While print and social media are often used platforms, participants discussed the limitations of both. One of the main pushes appears to be a website that consolidates as much information on the attractions, keeping the focus on multiple destinations for tourists stopping in the region for a few days.
One of the keys moving forward is the development of an advisory committee to help steer the project into the next phase.
“You need a good group of core people to keep propelling this, and I think it was decided that a website is the best way to go, and a website that focuses on a regional context and a national audience, that’s the way we need to go. Having Cory there brings another voice and another layer. Along with the people who are volunteering, we’re going to reach out to another couple who have expressed interest in being a part of that.”
Cory Dustyhorn is joined by Jennifer Fitzpatrick of the City of Humboldt’s Cultural Service Department and Cal Gratton for the Melfort Chamber.
Brent Fitzpatrick acknowledges that it’s a long-term project, but he’s confident in the capabilities of a strong leadership group in creating a strategy to strengthen regional tourism and market. The group promises its next meeting later in the fall.