Crowsnest Pass is a place where many travellers will stop to get gas and then carry on to their final destination, but the Economic Development Committee is hoping a new website will change that mindset.
The committee hired National PR to help come up with a three-year plan to spur economic development and tourism.
Mark Rigby owns a bed and breakfast in Coleman with his wife. He says this is long overdue.
“Our biggest problem here (is) lack of direction… Banff has signs, we don’t,” Rigby said.
Rigby built additional rooms across the street for his B&B in hopes of more traffic with a push to get more people to visit the pass.
“I believe the website will not only draw traffic to our place but also to the valley itself,” he said.
This is the first website of it’s kind for the area. It’s a one-stop shop for information on businesses, events and activities people can do while they are there.
Gocrowsnest.ca is based on three main points of focus to entice potential tourists:
- Culinary experience
- Outdoor activities
- History and culture
“We have Frank Slide, the mine and an artsy community where you can do great stuff and we have lots of great restaurants… (Most) are mom-and-pop joints – they are all local,” Melanie Beals, chair of the Economic Development Committee, said.
The travel trends the firm looked at were:
- 54 per cent of travellers say pictures of a destinations are important
- 40 per cent of website visits come from people using their phones
- 88 per cent of travellers will switch to a different app if yours doesn’t match their needs
“Most of the photography and information has come from the community,” Beals said, “so it’s people who live here and are very passionate about the area.”
Even though it’s a three-year plan, the hope is that benefits will happen immediately.