FOCUS AREAS AND GOALS 2020-2030
OUR FOCUS AREAS & GOALS
The four Focus Areas are the big outcomes that will help us to achieve our vision and guide our strategic direction and actions. These topics and goals reflect what was learned though research or engagement with the community, business and tourism stakeholders. They reflect the assets we have or need to develop based as well as the opportunities to move toward our vision. These goals were reviewed, shared with stakeholders, and finalized by the Task Force.
Focus Area 1 DIVERSITY OF VISITORS YEAR ROUND
Goal: Recover from COVID-19 and grow visitors into multi-day, year-round economic and community contributors
Tourism offers enormous economic and community benefits to residents and businesses. As the community and industry adapt and recover from COVID-19 it is important to ensure tourism and its benefits are deepened and further spread throughout the year.
Focus Area 2 REMARKABLE VISITOR EXPERIENCES
Goal: Develop and enhance Fernie’ s visitor infrastructure, amenities, brand, tourism products, experiences and people
Fernie offers a full suite of outdoor recreation-based experiences coupled with a deep sense of place and authentic welcoming culture. These experiences and new ones need to address service gaps and align with changing demographics. With the advent of‘ word of mouth’ marketing, experiences must be remarkable in order to be shared.
FOCUS AREAS:
Articulate high-level statements of the desired future in 10 years.
GOALS:
The high-level approach to the Focus Area outcomes, our desired future and vision.
STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS:
Represent broad priorities that bridge the situational analysis with the future Vision, Focus Areas and Goals. They guide specific actions over the next 3-5 years.
ACTIONS:
Focus Area 3 STRONGER TOURISM FOUNDATION
Goal: Ensure collaboration, community support, people and financing for tourism success
Fernie’ s current tourism success is a result of hard work, energetic organizations, collaboration and a sense of community pride. Essentially, people, working together. Along with deepened industry collaboration, there is a need to continually develop advocates for tourism. With human resource challenges facing the industry, barriers to attracting and retaining people such as housing need addressing. With the labour challenges being faced and ensuring positive and sustainable industry growth and management, collaboration is essential.
Focus Area 4 SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT
Goal: Manage locations where visitation is impacting the sense of community or natural environment and support the resiliency of the industry.
The very qualities that make Fernie and area such a great place to live and visit are being impacted at times by concentrated tourism visitation growth. Climate change and pressures from other industry are also threatening these same assets. Tourism must understand and help mitigate these impacts working with other industry, land owners, community groups and government.
Actions or projects are a key element of a Toursim Master Plan and are prioritized. They become the resonsibility of an implementig organization and network of supportive organizations.
37