CORPORATE STRATEGY
May 2025
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
INTRODUCTION
This document was developed by DAAR Place Consulting in 2025 based on a document review and a strategic session. It outlines Tourism Regina’s strategy to strengthen the city’s position as a tourism destination.
SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS
Regina is in the emerging stage of its tourism development, supported by strong event-hosting infrastructure, quality sports facilities, and its role as Saskatchewan’s capital and a regional hub. While it offers high-value accommodations and several unique attractions, the city lacks a well-known leisure draw beyond the drive market and is primarily visited for functional reasons like business, sports, or conferences. Limited destination awareness, low air access, and an underdeveloped visitor experience hinder its appeal to out-of-province leisure travellers.
TOURISM TRENDS
Tourism is evolving rapidly, with travel now a higher priority and travellers seeking deeper, more meaningful experiences such as cultural immersion, wellness, and adventure. The rise of remote work has driven demand for “workcations,” while sustainability, though sometimes cost-sensitive, is a growing expectation. Generational preferences are diverging, requiring tailored offerings, and marketing is shifting toward authenticity favouring influencer content, niche targeting, and short-form video.
DMOs are transforming from promotional bodies into destination stewards, taking on roles in experience development, sustainability, data leadership, crisis management, and stakeholder collaboration to ensure tourism supports both visitors and communities.
OBJECTIVES & STRATEGIES
Tourism Regina will focus on four key areas to drive growth:
1. Destination Promotion – Increase awareness and attract more visitors.
2. Destination Development – Improve visitor services, expand tourism experiences, and collaborate with partners.
3. Destination Stewardship – Ensure sustainable growth and strengthen community engagement.
4. Organizational Excellence – Build internal capacity, capabilities, and partnerships.
CONCLUSIONS
In the short term, growth will come from maximizing current assets attracting more events, encouraging repeat visits from nearby markets, increasing visitor spending, and extending stays. Long-term success depends on expanding beyond the regional market by enhancing Regina’s reputation, improving air access, and developing unique, anchor experiences. To achieve this, Tourism Regina must build on early momentum, strengthen its internal capacity, and foster strong partnerships to support sustainable destination development.
TOURISM REGINA MANDATE
Tourism Regina, a branch within the City of Regina administration, leads the marketing of Regina as a tourist destination and promotes the development and growth of the City’s tourism industry.
Tourism Regina is focused on attracting day and overnight visitors to the city by promoting our family-friendly attractions and being the best event hosts in Canada. We will increase tourism revenues by supporting industry in the development and delivery of remarkable experiences.
Royal Saskatchewan Museum
REGINA DESTINATION MATURITY
REGINA IS AN EMERGING DESTINATION
Regina's tourism is at an emerging stage in the destination lifecycle, characterized by strong event-hosting infrastructure and distinctive assets. While destination awareness and the establishment of a cohesive visitor experience require improvement, Regina's highquality sports facilities and successful track record in attracting sports events and conferences provide a foundation for growth.
Construction of Mosaic Stadium
MAIN VISITATION DRIVERS
Regina is Saskatchewan's capital and one of its main urban centres. It offers a range of commercial, cultural, and facility-based attractions that make it a practical destination for regional travel.
For those travelling from further away, Regina frequently serves a functional purpose—whether hosting business meetings, sports tournaments, or conferences, or simply as a convenient stop en route to another destination.
Regina currently doesn't attract many leisure travellers outside the drive market, with the exception of football fans attending a CFL Saskatchewan Roughriders game.
CFL Saskatchewan Roughriders Game
CUSTOMER JOURNEY
Destination marketing is about managing the customer journey, guiding visitors through key stages:
• Awareness – Increase recognition of Regina as an event or leisure destination through strategic marketing efforts.
• Consideration – Inspire and inform potential visitors by showcasing Regina’s unique offerings and experiences.
• Intent – Persuade visitors to actively plan an event or trip to Regina through compelling content and targeted outreach.
• Purchase – Offer easy and attractive options for booking experiences and accommodations.
• Visit – Deliver an exceptional experience that encourages repeat visitation and generates positive word-of-mouth recommendations.
VISITOR TRENDS
TRAVEL AS A PRIORITY
Travel has become a higher priority for many consumers post-pandemic, with increased budgets dedicated to travel experiences.
EXPERIENTIAL TRAVEL
Travellers are prioritizing deeper engagement with destinations, favouring cultural immersion, adventure, and wellness experiences over traditional sightseeing.
WORKCATIONS AND DIGITAL NOMADS
Remote work has fueled the rise of long-term travel and “workcations,” with destinations adapting by introducing digital nomad incentives to attract these travellers.
SUSTAINABILITY AS A KEY CONSIDERATION
Eco-conscious travel is becoming mainstream, with many travellers preferring sustainable options, though cost barriers sometimes limit action. Destinations with authentic sustainability efforts have a competitive advantage that will increase over time.
EVOLVING GENERATIONAL TRAVEL PREFERENCES
Gen Z travellers seek social impact and shareable experiences, while Baby Boomers prioritize comfort and cultural enrichment, requiring tailored travel offerings.
MARKETING TRENDS
GENERATIVE AI AND PERSONALIZATION
Artificial intelligence (AI) is disrupting and transforming tourism marketing by enabling personalized content and offers, enhancing customer engagement, and staging technology aided experiences.
INFLUENCER MARKETING
Influencer marketing has become essential, with consumers increasingly relying on content from the people and brands they trust and follow. Marketers shifting from celebrity influencers to micro and nanoinfluencers, with smaller audiences but higher engagement and trust.
BRAND DIFFERENTIATION AND STORYTELLING
Destinations are shifting from generic branding and promotions to more differentiating storytelling based on the unique aspects of the destination beyond pure tourism product.
NICHE MARKETING
Technology allows for more focus on more refined traveller segments based on specific attributes. Passion-driven niche travellers are less influenced by generic reputation, often spend more money, and tend to be more tolerant of less developed destinations.
SHORT-FORM VIDEO CONTENT
The growth and dominance of short-form videos on platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts require new ways of planning and producing content.
DMO TRENDS
FROM MARKETING TO MANAGEMENT
Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) are transitioning from solely promoting tourism to actively managing it, addressing challenges like overtourism by focusing on sustainable practices and community well-being.
FACILITATOR OF COLLABORATION
DMOs are increasingly acting as coordinators among diverse stakeholders, fostering partnerships that align tourism development with broader economic and community goals.
SUSTAINABILITY AND STEWARDSHIP
DMOs are adopting roles as stewards of sustainability, integrating eco-friendly initiatives and aligning with global goals to ensure tourism benefits both the environment and local communities.
PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT AND EXPERIENCE DESIGN
DMOs take a more active role in developing tourism products and experiences, enhancing destination competitiveness by addressing gaps and aligning with market trends.
CRISIS MANAGEMENT AND RESILIENCE
The pandemic highlighted the need for DMOs to incorporate crisis management into their strategies, ensuring destinations can swiftly adapt and recover from unforeseen challenges.
DATA AND INTELLIGENCE LEADERSHIP
By leveraging big data and advanced data analytics, including analytical and predictive AI, DMOs provide real-time insights to stakeholders, facilitating informed decision-making and enhancing visitor experiences.
STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK
Destination Promotion: Generates demand to achieve economic objectives.
Destination Development: Builds the supply necessary to meet future economic targets.
Destination Management: Ensures the visitor economy is managed sustainably and responsibly.
Stakeholder Collaboration: Brings together all parties influencing the visitor economy to achieve collective goals.
TOURISM REGINA GOALS
GROW REGINA’S
VISITOR ECONOMY
1. Destination Promotion: Enhance Regina's reputation as an event and leisure destination.
2. Destination Development: Elevate Regina's tourism offerings and improve visitor experiences.
3. Destination Stewardship: Drive sustainable and responsible tourism growth through exceptional visitor experiences.
4. Organizational Excellence: Strengthen internal capabilities and industry partnerships to support Regina's tourism ecosystem.
TOURISM REGINA GOALS
DESTINATION PROMOTION
DESTINATION DEVELOPMENT
DESTINATION STEWARDSHIP
Increase regional leisure visitation and revenue throughout all seasons.
Strengthen the overall destination experience and alignment among operators.
Grow the average spend of visitors in Regina.
Increase overnight visitors attending events, sports tournaments, conferences, and business meetings.
Build operators’ skills in experience development and digital marketing aimed at visitors.
Enhance Regina’s tourism competitiveness, sustainability, and community support.
Increase the number of medium and long-haul visitors.
Expand the number of tourism businesses and diversify experiences.
Identify, establish, and develop neighbourhood tourism spaces that feature multiple experiences within walking distance.
Increase resilience to minimize the impact of unexpected events on Regina’s visitor economy.
Mature the organization into a stable, robust, and effective Destination Marketing Organization.
CONCLUSIONS
AN EMERGING DESTINATION
Regina is still maturing as a tourism destination. The current destination experience features quality accommodations and experiences. As a regional service centre and hub for meetings, conventions, and events, Regina has a successful foundation for growth.
SHORT-TERM PRIORITIES
In the short-term, Regina can maximize its current assets and reputation by attracting more events, increasing the frequency of visits from the drive market, boosting average visitor spending, and extending the average length of stay.
LONG-TERM PRIORITIES
Long-term, growth requires visitors beyond the regional market. Regina needs to strengthen its reputation, build awareness, enhance air access, and develop distinct anchor experiences that motivate travel from a broader audience. Advancing Destination Development with the help of partners is required to mature the destination and its tourism offering.
TOURISM REGINA
Meeting its mandate requires Tourism Regina to build upon the momentum created during its foundational year. Strengthening internal capacity while fostering strategic partnerships will be important to driving long-term growth and achieving strategic goals.