Ashley Charles speaks at an event announcing her appointment as CEO of PAREDA in December 2019. (Alison Sandstrom/paNOW Staff)

By Alison Sandstrom

New Direction

Increased hope for P.A. area tourism after pandemic

Jun 22, 2020 | 5:14 PM

Despite continued uncertainty in the tourism sector, the new organization in charge of tourism in the Prince Albert region is hopeful they’ll be able to market the city more effectively in the long-run because of how they use this downtime.

At the last city council executive meeting, councillors tentatively approved an agreement that will transfer responsibility for the operation of the Tourism Centre and various tourism initiatives to the Prince Albert Regional Economic Development Alliance (PAREDA). The city’s politicians are expected to give the deal final approval at the next regular council meeting on June 29.

“It’s going to be a rebirth of the Tourism Centre,” PAREDA CEO Ashley Charles told paNOW. “There’s going to be a lot of changes visually and internally.”

In March, PAREDA made the decision to keep the centre closed for rest of the year due to the pandemic. But even as the tourism industry around the world suffers, Charles sees a silver lining.

“We’re not going to be waiting,” she said. “We’re going to be planning.”

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Charles explained PAREDA will take this season to clean out the Tourism Centre, rework the floor layout to give the building a more open and inviting feel, revamp the filing system and most importantly, begin work on the three to five year strategic plan that will guide future tourism initiatives in the region.

Charles said the Prince Albert region has plenty of great attractions and events, it’s just a matter of showcasing them in an effective way.

“As long as we do our work right and we market and brand Prince Albert I think it will be successful,” she said.

Whether people come to the city for shopping, golfing or an event, Charles hopes new tourism initiatives can convince them explore a little more of what Prince Albert has to offer.

“We have to promote the city as a place to stay rather than a place to just pick up and go,” Charles explained.

While details will be determined in the strategic plan, Charles said there will likely be an increased focus on online marketing going forward.

“That’s going to be revamping the website,” she explained. “Having stronger social media platforms, and just having more of an online presence in general, say with the gift shop even.”

Tourism was previously managed by the P.A. Tourism Board. However, it’s been council intention to transfer responsibility for the sector to PAREDA since the organization was created, given that tourism is such as important part of economic development, Director of Planning and Development Services Craig Guidinger wrote in a report.

The $140,000 allocated annually to the P.A. Tourism Board will now go to PAREDA. Charles told council she plans to hire a business development officer or marketing manager to oversee the Tourism Centre. She’ll also regularly report to city council on new tourism developments.

PAREDA includes representatives from the City of Prince Albert, Muskoday First Nation, Peter Ballantyne Developments LP., the RM of Prince Albert and the RM of Buckland.

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alisonsandstrom@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alisandstrom