Lethbridge Herald, May 15, 2024.
Lethbridge Tourism Bureau Tourist Information Provider Tour participants take in the views at the Nikkayuko Japanese Garden, the first tour stop on Wednesday.Herald Photography: Alejandra Pulido-Guzmán
Alejandra Pulido Guzman – Lethbridge Herald – apulido@lethbridgeherald.com
Lethbridge Tourism will host a VIP (Tourist Information Provider) tour Wednesday for frontline tourism workers to experience local attractions first-hand and receive inquiries from tourists about what they can do in the city. Provide information and feedback when needed.
Attractions included Yuko Nikka Japanese Garden, Casa, Art Gallery of Southern Alberta, Gault Museum and Archives, and Helen Schuler Nature Center.
Dominika Wojcik, senior director of communications for Lethbridge Tourism, said during the tour that their goal is to teach front-line workers a little about creating a better visitor experience.
“As visitors, we all know that we want local people’s opinions on where popular dining spots are and what to do there. So we provide information to the community and respond. We’re trying to showcase some of the best items on the bridge so they can create that experience for our visitors,” Wojcik said.
She said the VIP Tour is an initiative they are working on to create an ongoing piece, but for now it is a one-time effort.
“We’ll see how it goes. We’ll do some reports at the end and get feedback from everyone who’s participating here. But for now, it’s just what we’re doing yesterday and today. It’s just a matter of fact,” Wojcik said.
She said she hopes to be able to offer these types of tours more often in the future and is also working on a virtual version of the tour.
“If a hotel or restaurant hires a new employee, they can send a video with some of these pieces to show the new staff or highlight some of these pieces, so they always have You don’t have to film anymore. It’s the day everyone does this kind of thing,” Wojcik said.
She said Lethbridge Tourism knows Lethbridge has a lot to offer, but when choosing which locations to highlight, the organization first chooses to showcase the biggest attractions here. He said he had decided.
“We hope to be able to expand the tour in the future to show other parts of the city,” Wojcik said.
She said she chose Casa and the Helen Schuler Nature Center because visitors can enjoy both for free and experience two different types of environments with so much to offer. Helen Schuler Her Nature Center was also chosen because of its location.
“We know that the Coulee is a big draw for our city, which is one of the reasons we head to the river valley. When you’re there, you see it all rolled into one. It’s easy,” Wojcik said.
She mentioned the fact that people can see the high-level bridge while enjoying the diversity of nature and animals that call the river valley home.
When speaking about the importance of tourism in Lethbridge, and therefore the importance of being able to point visitors in the direction of multiple attractions, Wojcik emphasized the economic impact that comes from doing just that.
“We know that the visitor experience translates directly into economic impact, because the more visitors we have and the better their experience, the more likely they are to stay longer, come back and visit again. “It makes you want to tell your friends and family,” he said. Wojcik.
She said their main goal ultimately is to create a better visitor experience and bring greater economic impact to our city.
Downtown Lethbridge BRZ summer ambassador Peyton Grindle spoke to the media about her experience participating in the VIP tour.
“As ambassadors, we have a lot of visitors and we host a lot of events, so being able to learn a little bit about what Lethbridge has to offer is really important to us.” Grindle said.
She said being able to experience attractions first-hand is invaluable for the kind of feedback and recommendations those on the front lines can provide to visitors.
“You can tell people exactly what it’s like, how all the important aspects feel, just by looking at it,” Grindle said.
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