Remember the Fernie DMO? (Destination Marketing Organization)
Well, you probably haven’t even really noticed, but it has been transformed into Tourism Fernie. Tourism Fernie is funded from all that hotel tax that Fernie accommodators have been collecting since 2007 and from memberships throughout the community. Since their job (one full time employee and a board of directors) is to bring people to Fernie, you probably haven’t seen all the work they have been doing since Dec 2008 because it has all been outside of Fernie. They have represented Fernie at ski shows around the world, created a website for visitors and placed many ads on TV and in newspapers across southern Alberta. This organization is a start for Fernie. All other resort municipalities have a DMO and are working hard at taking visitors away from Fernie to visit their cities instead. It’s a big market and its tough and if we aren’t going to be solely a mining town, we need to get Fernie out there.
Another thing I learned from all this hotel tax revenue is that the city of Fernie is holding a chunk of it, and people like you and me can propose to the city to get some of that money for “marketing infrastructure”, like music festivals, bike festivals or such attractions that would bring people to Fernie. So to be clear, Tourism Fernie isn’t going to create anything to be marketed, it’s only marketing what’s already here and happening. But it’s nice to know that if someone wants money to help with a kick ass project, money
is now there for such things.
Memberships are important, they are pricey, but consider it an investment in the future of Fernie. And settle down, Fernie will never lose its small-town community charm because we the people would never let that happen. However; we need a diverse economy to survive, and that means tourism as well at resources.
http://www.tourismfernie.com/
Well, you probably haven’t even really noticed, but it has been transformed into Tourism Fernie. Tourism Fernie is funded from all that hotel tax that Fernie accommodators have been collecting since 2007 and from memberships throughout the community. Since their job (one full time employee and a board of directors) is to bring people to Fernie, you probably haven’t seen all the work they have been doing since Dec 2008 because it has all been outside of Fernie. They have represented Fernie at ski shows around the world, created a website for visitors and placed many ads on TV and in newspapers across southern Alberta. This organization is a start for Fernie. All other resort municipalities have a DMO and are working hard at taking visitors away from Fernie to visit their cities instead. It’s a big market and its tough and if we aren’t going to be solely a mining town, we need to get Fernie out there.
Another thing I learned from all this hotel tax revenue is that the city of Fernie is holding a chunk of it, and people like you and me can propose to the city to get some of that money for “marketing infrastructure”, like music festivals, bike festivals or such attractions that would bring people to Fernie. So to be clear, Tourism Fernie isn’t going to create anything to be marketed, it’s only marketing what’s already here and happening. But it’s nice to know that if someone wants money to help with a kick ass project, money
is now there for such things.
Memberships are important, they are pricey, but consider it an investment in the future of Fernie. And settle down, Fernie will never lose its small-town community charm because we the people would never let that happen. However; we need a diverse economy to survive, and that means tourism as well at resources.
http://www.tourismfernie.com/
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