EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
FERNIE & TOURISM
Fernie is a small mountain community renowned for its spectacular setting amongst the Rocky Mountains and along the Elk River, it’ s world class powder skiing, historic downtown and year-round recreation. A community of over 5,000 full-time residents, Fernie is located along Highway 3 in southeastern British Columbia near the Alberta and USA border. Fernie sits within the Traditional Territory of the Ktunaxa Nation, which stretches over approximately 70,000 kilometres within the Kootenay region and parts of Alberta, Montana, Washington and Idaho. The Ktunaxa people have occupied the lands for more than 10,000 years.
Fernie has been actively inviting travellers since at least 1921 when the Tourism Association of Southern Alberta and Southeast British Columbia was founded to promote Fernie and the Crowsnest Pass as a Rocky Mountain destination by local resident J. F. Spalding. Today tourism is one of Fernie’ s primary economies, alongside mining and forestry, generating over $ 130 million per year in visitor spending( 2019). Iconic tourism businesses include Fernie Alpine Resort, Island Lake Lodge & Catskiing, local fly-fishing and rafting operators and Fernie Brewing Co to name a few.
Fernie’ s appeal is more than just its scenery and activities. The down-to-earth and passionate people, local history, amenities, events and festivals, and in today’ s environment the wide-open spaces and genuine small-town community are what truly drive the attraction, positive word-of-mouth and return visitation. A community rich in heritage, unique and independent small businesses and mountain culture entices visitors looking for something different than the mass commercialized tourism experience.
Fernie’ s overnight visitors have been a mix of both short( regional) and long haul( international – for skiing and fishing primarily) markets, with a noticeable shift to more regional drive markets in the summer and shoulder seasons, and European road trippers touring the broader Rocky Mountain area. Visitors from Alberta make a significant contribution to Fernie’ s year-round tourism economy due to their close proximity, making up as much as 70 % of the summer traffic and 60 % of the winter traffic. The US market visiting Fernie has been growing over the years, but represent smaller numbers compared to Alberta and the prairie provinces, though they typically spend more.
WHY A TOURISM MASTER PLAN( TMP)
• The purpose of developing a TMP for Fernie is to ensure the long-term success and sustainability of tourism in the community and the support for tourism by the community.
• Success and sustainability requires a strategic plan, expertise, collaboration, consultation, awareness, understanding and action.
• With a genuine desire to understand and address the current and future opportunities and concerns, Tourism Fernie with partnership and support from the City of Fernie, Fernie Chamber of Commerce, Regional District of East Kootenay and Columbia Basin Trust, embarked on a Tourism Master Plan process.
• Originally conceived in late 2016 with funding confirmed by early 2018, Tourism Fernie along with a local stakeholder group, hired Whistler Centre for Sustainability to help lead the process, engagement activities and plan development in late 2018 and through 2019.
COVID-19
During the final edits of the Tourism Master Plan the COVID-19 pandemic was announced by the WHO. The TMP was scheduled to launch to industry on March 31, 2020 at Tourism Fernie’ s AGM & Tourism Conference, with a public launch shortly after. In response to the pandemic these events were cancelled and the tourism industry on a global level was faced with one of, if not the most significant threat to its sustainability, at least in the short-term, and a massive shift in travel demand, supply and trends.
The TMP Task Force and the new TMP Champion Group, as detailed further in subsequent pages, underwent a process in spring / summer of 2020 to review the plan at its current state, and in relation to COVID-19’ s impact on tourism. The pandemic is still in play today and the tourism sector is continuing to adapt, forecast and plan with the information at hand. The review provided further input and updates to the TMP based on what industry knows, estimates and understands currently with an understanding that collaboration is the best strategy to continue to adapt and evaluate.