Community Tourism Planning
The Community Tourism Planning section contains information that will help leaders direct and focus tourism planning capabilities at the community and district level. Tourism Saskatchewan believes this process will be a catalyst for community residents and leaders who are interested in exploring opportunities through tourism.
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Saskatchewan's tourism products are exciting and diverse. They include unspoiled wilderness and abundant wildlife populations, inspiring cultural festivals and entertaining events. Our heritage and lifestyles are interpreted through museums and cultural centers across the province. Our accommodations, food services and attractions offer excellent value to visitors, and occupancy rates are among the highest in Canada.
Saskatchewan communities are increasingly turning to tourism as an opportunity for economic diversification and employment. The retention of businesses and services in many communities throughout the province depends more and more upon visitor spending.
The Community Tourism Planning section contains information that will help leaders direct and focus tourism planning capabilities at the community and district level. Tourism Saskatchewan believes this process will be a catalyst for community residents and leaders who are interested in exploring opportunities through tourism.
Saskatchewan communities are increasingly turning to tourism as an opportunity for economic diversification and job creation. The retention of businesses and services in many communities depends more and more upon visitor spending. Twenty-five cities, towns, villages and First Nations across Saskatchewan have completed Community Tourism Plans since 2005. A number of these communities are prepared to share their Community Tourism Plans upon request.
Much of the information in this section is also available in pdf format in the Community Tourism Planning Guide 2020. Click here to download.
Throughout the course of preparing a tourism plan for your community, you are encouraged to keep in contact with Tourism Saskatchewan. For more information, please contact the Tourism Saskatchewan Saskatoon office at (306) 933-5900.
Community Tourism Planning Resources
Tourism is a key player in Saskatchewan's economy, generating over $2 billion in travel spending annually. More than 12 million visits are made to and within the province each year.
A community tourism plan is a written document produced on behalf of a community by a group of people representing a cross-section of interests within that area. The plan provides a framework for business, local government, cultural groups and other organizations to analyze tourism resources and concerns, and consider tourism development and promotion.
You may be interested in seeing tourism developed and promoted in your community. However, is there a desire to do so on the part of local residents, businesses and the municipal council?
In step-by-step fashion, this page discusses the elements involved in developing community tourism plans.
Before seeking input from businesses, organizations, the general public and other government agencies, you should give municipal council the opportunity to review and discuss the draft plan. If council identifies major concerns, the committee must take them into consideration. You may have to revise the draft and bring it back to council for another look.
Perhaps your objective in the plan is to attract more visitors through direct-mail promotions, some form of newspaper and radio advertising, a Facebook contest or a combination of these and other promotional activities. You should try to gauge the success of your efforts by obtaining figures showing fair attendance before and after new promotions were implemented.
These worksheets and examples can be used to develop community, city, and destination area tourism plans.