Tourism Fernie 2025 Annual Report
Destination Management & Development
Destination management and development initiatives is the supply side of tourism( vs demand) and supports a coordinated approach to planning, developing, and managing a tourism destination. It bridges the gap between visitor experiences and the needs of residents, businesses, and the environment to ensure long-term sustainability, competitiveness, and high-quality visitor experiences. More specifically, destination development is about building compelling experiences, quality infrastructure and amenities, and services that attract visitors.
Tourism Fernie’ s continued efforts in this area have been primarily guided by Fernie’ s Tourism Master Plan launched in 2020. The following pages highlight project areas and initiatives in 2025.
Bronze Certified DESTINATION
THIS CERTIFICATE IS PRESENTED TO
Tourism Fernie
THIS DESTINATION HAS ACHIEVED BRONZE CERTIFICATION Based on criteria recognized by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council and verified by a GreenStep Assessor
Angela Nagy CEO, GreenStep Solutions Inc.
Learn more at www. greensteptourism. com
November 20th, 2025
Certification Date Valid for three years from certification date
RDEK Area A Sustainable Tourism & Recreation Program & Projects
Fernie as a travel destination earned Bronze Certification for Sustainable Tourism in 2025.
This program revolves around on-going partnerships and collaboration, with 2025 being the fourth year with many program advancements and construction completions. Originally born out of the Tourism Master Plan, and the subsequent RDEK Area A Sustainable Tourism Strategy developed in 2021 with funding from RDEK Area A, this Sustainable Tourism and Recreation Program has continued to leverage additional partners and funding with expenditures of over $ 1.7 million.
The program focuses on supporting important front-country and back-country recreation and tourism locations that need support and are important to residents and the tourism / recreation sector. The objectives are to improve the experience and help ensure these natural assets remain intact for future generations.
Elk Valley Resources Operations Ltd. committed $ 200,000 to support three years of funding for the Sustainable Tourism & Recreation Program, including $ 100,000 to help complete the Elko Boat Launch Project on the Elk River.
L-R: Corien Sieders( Destn Mgnt & Devel Mgr, Tourism Fernie), Jikke Gyorki( Exec Officer, Tourism Fernie), Zoe Garyfalakis( AmbassadorWILD), Kristen Hribar( AmbassadorWILD), and Justin Paterson( Acting Director, Community & Indigenous Relations, EVR)
20 Report for 12 month fiscal period of January – December, 2025