Tourism Saskatoon introduces new initiative during Tourism Week

Attracting new business — be it locally, regionally or provincially — through unique culinary and visitor experiences is one of the ways Tourism Saskatoon is hoping to set itself apart and to compete for precious tourism dollars.

President-CEO Todd Brandt says the organization has been chosen by Tourism Saskatchewan to take part in a Pan-Canadian “capacity building series” to support small- and medium-sized enterprises in rural and secondary markets.

The workshops were actually designed pre-COVID-19, but have now been adjusted to reflect the new normal many restaurateurs and tourism operators. The workshops will also look at new business strategies to not only survive but to take advantage of off-season attractions during the winter and spring of 2021 — or what’s known as “shoulder season.”

“Competition for the traveller dollars coming out of this is going to be fierce,” said Brandt. “And I think, as I’ve been saying to people, we’ve got to come out of this better than we were going into it despite our successes because of that fierce level of competition.

“(It) is an effort to get to that competitive level, so that we can share success and help our membership base grow and prosper in the future.”

The workshops will take place in August as part of a partnership with the Culinary Tourism Alliance and consulting firm Twenty31.

Stephanie Clovechok, Tourism Saskatoon’s vice-president and director of destination innovation, says the organization wants to try and evolve the tourist experience, and to be able to adapt it post-COVID-19 as well.

The result, she hopes, will create a locally secure food system which includes local agricultural producers and more jobs.

“There’s going to be some incredible experiences that come out of these workshops, so things like brewery tours or guided food tours, a sunset dinner on the open prairie or things like an interpretive northern light viewing experience around a campfire with an Indigenous elder telling stories,” she said.

“Those are all things that people from around the world are so excited to experience here in Saskatoon.”

It’s also a chance, she adds, for locals to have those same experiences. Restaurateurs and agricultural producers are also on board.

“I think what has been beautiful to watch is the enthusiasm that they see in the unification around something that they’ve always done,” Clovechok said. “And now all of a sudden they see that people are inspired by it … and there has been a wholehearted acceptance of this.”

Anyone interested in more information on the mid-August workshops or taking part in them can contact either Tourism Saskatoon or Tourism Saskatchewan.

While Tourism Saskatoon is hosting the workshops, any tourist operator, producer or restaurateur from across the province is invited to take part.