2021-22 Northern Manitoba Tourism Strategy Progress Report

NORTHERN MANITOBA TOURISM STRATEGY PROGRESS REPORT 2021/22

↓ Snow Lake

↓ Pisew Falls Provincial Park

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Manitoba is located on Treaty Territories and the ancestral land of the Anishinaabeg, Anishininewuk, Dakota Oyate, Denesuline and Nehethowuk Nations and is the Homeland of the Red River Métis.

Northern Manitoba includes lands that were and are the ancestral lands of the Inuit.

Travel Manitoba respects the spirit and intent of Treaties and Treaty Making and remains committed to working in partnership with First Nations, Inuit and Métis people in the spirit of truth, reconciliation and collaboration.

INTRODUCTION The Northern Manitoba Tourism Strategy was launched in 2017 to guide and support the growth of the tourism industry in Manitoba’s North. As indicated in the 2020 Progress Report, considerable progress was made in pursuit of the strategy’s goal to increase tourism expenditures in northern Manitoba from $116 million annually in 2017 to $151 million in March 2022. However, the impacts to tourism resulting from the COVID-19 outbreak and related public health measures were particularly devastating for Churchill and northern fly-in hunting and fishing lodges who rely on U.S. and international visitors. At the height of the pandemic, Travel Manitoba communicated regularly with industry to understand their challenges while spending considerable time and effort advocating for relief for the sector. Despite the numerous challenges, progress continued on the Northern Manitoba Tourism Strategy.

VISION Northern Manitoba, Canada’s Northern Heartland, engages visitors through exceptional experiences in accessible Canadian wilderness, wildlife and northern heritage.

MISSION Grow tourism in Northern Manitoba through product development, marketing and by leveraging community support.

GOAL Increase tourism expenditures in northern Manitoba from $116 million annually in 2014 to $151 million annually by March 2022.

1

↓ Snow Lake

↓ Pisew Falls Provincial Park

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Manitoba is located on Treaty Territories and the ancestral land of the Anishinaabeg, Anishininewuk, Dakota Oyate, Denesuline and Nehethowuk Nations and is the Homeland of the Red River Métis.

Northern Manitoba includes lands that were and are the ancestral lands of the Inuit.

Travel Manitoba respects the spirit and intent of Treaties and Treaty Making and remains committed to working in partnership with First Nations, Inuit and Métis people in the spirit of truth, reconciliation and collaboration.

INTRODUCTION The Northern Manitoba Tourism Strategy was launched in 2017 to guide and support the growth of the tourism industry in Manitoba’s North. As indicated in the 2020 Progress Report, considerable progress was made in pursuit of the strategy’s goal to increase tourism expenditures in northern Manitoba from $116 million annually in 2017 to $151 million in March 2022. However, the impacts to tourism resulting from the COVID-19 outbreak and related public health measures were particularly devastating for Churchill and northern fly-in hunting and fishing lodges who rely on U.S. and international visitors. At the height of the pandemic, Travel Manitoba communicated regularly with industry to understand their challenges while spending considerable time and effort advocating for relief for the sector. Despite the numerous challenges, progress continued on the Northern Manitoba Tourism Strategy.

VISION Northern Manitoba, Canada’s Northern Heartland, engages visitors through exceptional experiences in accessible Canadian wilderness, wildlife and northern heritage.

MISSION Grow tourism in Northern Manitoba through product development, marketing and by leveraging community support.

GOAL Increase tourism expenditures in northern Manitoba from $116 million annually in 2014 to $151 million annually by March 2022.

1

SUMMARY OF KEY ����–�� ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Support for Tourism Development and Marketing Status: In Progress

• Hired new Northern Manitoba Tourism Consultant.

• Travel Manitoba initiated a unique place branding program in 2017 to help destinations communicate their identity and tourism assets. The Pas / Opaskwayak Cree Nation (OCN) became the third place brand in northern Manitoba when it officially launched in 2021.

• Launched SledMB53 website.

• Held familiarization tours to Churchill with travel trade guests and media from Canada and the U.S. • Created and launched northern lights and polar bear marketing campaigns to support Churchill’s tourism.

• Integrated northern tourism businesses and experiences into Travel Manitoba’s Road Trip Guide, Winter Explorer Guide and digital marketing campaigns.

Strategic Priority 1

ORGANIZATION AND COMMUNICATIONS Pilot a More Effective Regional Model for Manitoba’s North Status: Completed in 2018 - Update • Travel Manitoba continues to lead the new model of delivering tourism marketing and product development in northern Manitoba. Travel Manitoba staff based in Winnipeg implement marketing, partnership and market-related research initiatives under the direction of a Northern Tourism Advisory Committee, which is comprised of community and corporate tourism stakeholders in Manitoba’s North.

• The Northern Tourism Advisory Committee continues to meet quarterly to oversee the implementation of the Northern Tourism Strategy.

• Travel Manitoba hired a new Northern Tourism Consultant in November 2021.

The Northern Tourism Consultant leads product development initiatives, engages with northern tourism industry stakeholders and acts as a Travel Manitoba presence in the region.

• Travel Manitoba held a strategic planning session with the Northern Tourism Advisory Committee to update the Northern Tourism Strategy in April 2021. The new strategy will launch in 2022/23.

• The Flin Flon, Thompson Region and The Pas / OCN place brands all applied for and received Travel Manitoba’s place brand pandemic relief funding in 2021. The relief funding provided $15,000 with a minimum contribution of $5,000 from place brands, sourced from municipal/regional grants, tourism partners or other sources. Funding support was used for marketing initiatives and/or destination development: - Flin Flon engaged the company Second Nature to conduct a wayfinding signage project, including community consultation, goal setting and defining target markets, preliminary conceptual drawings and cost estimates.

- The Pas / OCN used the program to support photography, videography, and website development with e-commerce capability, the salary of a Communications Coordinator for social media marketing and website upkeep and advertising.

- Thompson Region engaged a consultant to develop a post-COVID tourism action plan, lead activities relevant to brand promotion and to pay for social media content management.

↑ Clearwater Provincial Park

2

N O R T H E R N M A N I T O B A T O U R I S M S T R AT E G Y

P R O G R E S S R E P O R T 2021/22

3

SUMMARY OF KEY ����–�� ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Support for Tourism Development and Marketing Status: In Progress

• Hired new Northern Manitoba Tourism Consultant.

• Travel Manitoba initiated a unique place branding program in 2017 to help destinations communicate their identity and tourism assets. The Pas / Opaskwayak Cree Nation (OCN) became the third place brand in northern Manitoba when it officially launched in 2021.

• Launched SledMB53 website.

• Held familiarization tours to Churchill with travel trade guests and media from Canada and the U.S. • Created and launched northern lights and polar bear marketing campaigns to support Churchill’s tourism.

• Integrated northern tourism businesses and experiences into Travel Manitoba’s Road Trip Guide, Winter Explorer Guide and digital marketing campaigns.

Strategic Priority 1

ORGANIZATION AND COMMUNICATIONS Pilot a More Effective Regional Model for Manitoba’s North Status: Completed in 2018 - Update • Travel Manitoba continues to lead the new model of delivering tourism marketing and product development in northern Manitoba. Travel Manitoba staff based in Winnipeg implement marketing, partnership and market-related research initiatives under the direction of a Northern Tourism Advisory Committee, which is comprised of community and corporate tourism stakeholders in Manitoba’s North.

• The Northern Tourism Advisory Committee continues to meet quarterly to oversee the implementation of the Northern Tourism Strategy.

• Travel Manitoba hired a new Northern Tourism Consultant in November 2021.

The Northern Tourism Consultant leads product development initiatives, engages with northern tourism industry stakeholders and acts as a Travel Manitoba presence in the region.

• Travel Manitoba held a strategic planning session with the Northern Tourism Advisory Committee to update the Northern Tourism Strategy in April 2021. The new strategy will launch in 2022/23.

• The Flin Flon, Thompson Region and The Pas / OCN place brands all applied for and received Travel Manitoba’s place brand pandemic relief funding in 2021. The relief funding provided $15,000 with a minimum contribution of $5,000 from place brands, sourced from municipal/regional grants, tourism partners or other sources. Funding support was used for marketing initiatives and/or destination development: - Flin Flon engaged the company Second Nature to conduct a wayfinding signage project, including community consultation, goal setting and defining target markets, preliminary conceptual drawings and cost estimates.

- The Pas / OCN used the program to support photography, videography, and website development with e-commerce capability, the salary of a Communications Coordinator for social media marketing and website upkeep and advertising.

- Thompson Region engaged a consultant to develop a post-COVID tourism action plan, lead activities relevant to brand promotion and to pay for social media content management.

↑ Clearwater Provincial Park

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N O R T H E R N M A N I T O B A T O U R I S M S T R AT E G Y

P R O G R E S S R E P O R T 2021/22

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• Travel Manitoba retained Probe Research to conduct a brief survey among adults in northern Manitoba regarding perceptions of tourism in their communities. The results of the survey showed that northern Manitobans feel particularly strongly that tourism is vital for the economic growth of the region. Six in ten northern Manitoba residents say tourism is very important to the economic well-being of Manitoba’s North—a figure that is significantly higher than among Manitobans as a whole.

• Northerners are very proud of their region, they want to warmly welcome visitors and rarely feel that tourism gets in the way of the

everyday lives of local residents. There are no red flags about over-tourism in northern Manitoba. Seven in ten residents say northern Manitoba has too few tourists right now, and only two per cent feel there are too many. Interestingly, there were no differences among demographic sub-populations. Indigenous residents are just as likely to embrace tourism as nonIndigenous residents.

• Travel Manitoba also contracted Probe Research to survey 500 First Nations, Inuit and Métis people in Manitoba in July and August 2021. While this survey was not limited to northern Manitoba,

↓ Herb Lake Landing

Indigenous tourism plays a significant role in northern tourism. The results indicated that Indigenous Peoples in Manitoba are generally very open and welcoming to tourists and view the sharing of their culture as a way to create jobs and work towards reconciliation.

- Three in five Indigenous respondents strongly agree that tourists would be welcome in their community. This sentiment carries on- and off-reserve among both Métis and First Nations peoples.

- Nearly three in five strongly agree that boosting tourism is a good way to increase employment in Indigenous communities.

- Allowing tourists to experience spiritual or medicinal cultural practices such as sweat lodges or medicine picking was viewed as somewhat less acceptable; however, one in four respondents did say sharing these spiritual practices with visitors is very acceptable. In general, Indigenous respondents were more likely to be comfortable inviting tourists to hear stories told by Elders, attend powwows, craft workshops or go on guided hunting and fishing trips.

- There is some concern about ensuring Indigenous Peoples benefit directly from tourism in their communities and that non-Indigenous people do not profit from or appropriate Indigenous culture.

Three in five Indigenous people in Manitoba strongly agree that Indigenous Peoples must reap the benefits from Indigenous tourism, and nearly one-half (particularly women) are very worried about their culture being exploited by non-Indigenous tourism operators.

↑ Cranberry Portage

↑ Churchill

PHOTO: @JOTRAILL

4

↑ Thompson

PHOTO: BUILD FILMS

Northerners are more Positive about Tourism as a Sector Status: Complete

N O R T H E R N M A N I T O B A T O U R I S M S T R AT E G Y

P R O G R E S S R E P O R T 2021/22

5

• Travel Manitoba retained Probe Research to conduct a brief survey among adults in northern Manitoba regarding perceptions of tourism in their communities. The results of the survey showed that northern Manitobans feel particularly strongly that tourism is vital for the economic growth of the region. Six in ten northern Manitoba residents say tourism is very important to the economic well-being of Manitoba’s North—a figure that is significantly higher than among Manitobans as a whole.

• Northerners are very proud of their region, they want to warmly welcome visitors and rarely feel that tourism gets in the way of the

everyday lives of local residents. There are no red flags about over-tourism in northern Manitoba. Seven in ten residents say northern Manitoba has too few tourists right now, and only two per cent feel there are too many. Interestingly, there were no differences among demographic sub-populations. Indigenous residents are just as likely to embrace tourism as nonIndigenous residents.

• Travel Manitoba also contracted Probe Research to survey 500 First Nations, Inuit and Métis people in Manitoba in July and August 2021. While this survey was not limited to northern Manitoba,

↓ Herb Lake Landing

Indigenous tourism plays a significant role in northern tourism. The results indicated that Indigenous Peoples in Manitoba are generally very open and welcoming to tourists and view the sharing of their culture as a way to create jobs and work towards reconciliation.

- Three in five Indigenous respondents strongly agree that tourists would be welcome in their community. This sentiment carries on- and off-reserve among both Métis and First Nations peoples.

- Nearly three in five strongly agree that boosting tourism is a good way to increase employment in Indigenous communities.

- Allowing tourists to experience spiritual or medicinal cultural practices such as sweat lodges or medicine picking was viewed as somewhat less acceptable; however, one in four respondents did say sharing these spiritual practices with visitors is very acceptable. In general, Indigenous respondents were more likely to be comfortable inviting tourists to hear stories told by Elders, attend powwows, craft workshops or go on guided hunting and fishing trips.

- There is some concern about ensuring Indigenous Peoples benefit directly from tourism in their communities and that non-Indigenous people do not profit from or appropriate Indigenous culture.

Three in five Indigenous people in Manitoba strongly agree that Indigenous Peoples must reap the benefits from Indigenous tourism, and nearly one-half (particularly women) are very worried about their culture being exploited by non-Indigenous tourism operators.

↑ Cranberry Portage

↑ Churchill

PHOTO: @JOTRAILL

4

↑ Thompson

PHOTO: BUILD FILMS

Northerners are more Positive about Tourism as a Sector Status: Complete

N O R T H E R N M A N I T O B A T O U R I S M S T R AT E G Y

P R O G R E S S R E P O R T 2021/22

5

Strategic Priority 2

TOURISM MARKETING Travel Manitoba aligns Marketing Plans with the Northern Manitoba Tourism Strategy Status: Ongoing • Public health restrictions continued to limit travel to northern Manitoba in 2021/22.

However, Travel Manitoba maintained aggressive marketing within Manitoba, built on the success of the “Home is Where the Heart is” campaign.

• Several digital campaigns focused on northern experiences and/or included northern content including the Winter Explorer Guide, Road Trip Guide, Manitoba North accommodation page and the beluga whales, polar bears, fly-in fishing and the must-see destinations campaigns.

• In August, the “Come find your heart in Churchill, Manitoba” campaign promoted

polar bear viewing in Churchill, which included full-page wraps in daily newspapers in Winnipeg, Regina and Calgary while individual operator ads ran throughout the newspapers.

• In November, Travel Manitoba surveyed Manitobans on the impact of the summer marketing campaigns, which included a question on the impact of the polar bear lure piece. Around three-quarters of survey respondents felt the brochure motivated them to some extent to consider a trip to Churchill while nearly three in ten booked a trip to Churchill because of the brochure.

Impact of Polar Bear Lure Brochure on Motivation Around three-quarters felt the brochure motivated them to some extent

Nearly three in ten booked a trip to Churchill based on the brochure

15.4%

Yes, 27%

47 25

25

No, 73%

2 YES, A LOT

YES, A LITTLE

NO

UNSURE

Question: Did the Come find your heart in Churchill, Manitoba brochure motivate you to consider a trip to Churchill or find out more about Churchill vacation options?

Base: Those who recall recieving the Come find your heart in Churchill Brochure (n=227)

6

Question: Have you booked an upcoming trip to Churchill?

Base: Those who said the Come find your heart Churchill brochure motivated them a little or a lot (n=164)

N O R T H E R N M A N I T O B A T O U R I S M S T R AT E G Y

• Travel Manitoba collaborated with five local content creators to travel to Churchill during October and November, each with a different tour operator to promote their experiences to Manitobans, encouraging them to travel north in their own province.

• The Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star and Forbes.com ran articles featuring northern Manitoba tourism products and destinations.

• A northern lights marketing campaign launched in winter 2022 to encourage Manitobans and Canadians to book trips to Churchill. Highlights of the campaign include: - A northern lights lure print piece featuring trip packages from five Churchill partners.

Travel Manitoba distributed over 300,000 copies via direct mail to households in Manitoba (200,000), Calgary (50,000) and Montréal (50,000).

- Full-page ads ran for four non-consecutive weeks throughout the campaign period

in Winnipeg, Brandon, Saskatoon, Regina and Thunder Bay. Half-page ads ran in rural Manitoba newspapers.

- Social media content supported digital marketing efforts and included an eNewsletter contest with 3,000 entrants to win a northern lights adventure trip.

- A group media trip with Frontiers North Adventures took place March 6–13 and included Canadian and U.S. media.

• Travel Manitoba collaborated with four Churchill businesses to host 21 travel trade guests on familiarization tours. Trade guest participated in a variety of experiences in Winnipeg and Churchill including polar bear, beluga whale and northern lights viewing, dogsledding and other cultural experiences. Travel to and from Churchill was done by plane and train so trade guests could experience both options.

Collaborate on Marketing and Product Development Strategies Status: Ongoing • Travel Manitoba continues to create and maintain strong partnerships with tourism operators in Manitoba’s North. Partnership opportunities were limited in 2021/22 because of the pandemic. Travel Manitoba focused instead on linking businesses to support programs and communicating industry needs to government.

• The North Central Community Futures Development Corporation is leading the Northern Manitoba Snowmobile Tourism Strategic Plan with Travel Manitoba participating as part of the project management team. In late 2021, the

SledMB53 website launched in support of the Northern Manitoba Snowmobile Tourism Strategy. The website features an interactive map of six northern communities and lists amenities available to tourists, such as food, lodging and fuel. Visitors to the websites can link to each community’s tourism website, snowmobile club website or Facebook page and download a digital map of popular routes on designated Snoman trails.

P R O G R E S S R E P O R T 2021/22

7

Strategic Priority 2

TOURISM MARKETING Travel Manitoba aligns Marketing Plans with the Northern Manitoba Tourism Strategy Status: Ongoing • Public health restrictions continued to limit travel to northern Manitoba in 2021/22.

However, Travel Manitoba maintained aggressive marketing within Manitoba, built on the success of the “Home is Where the Heart is” campaign.

• Several digital campaigns focused on northern experiences and/or included northern content including the Winter Explorer Guide, Road Trip Guide, Manitoba North accommodation page and the beluga whales, polar bears, fly-in fishing and the must-see destinations campaigns.

• In August, the “Come find your heart in Churchill, Manitoba” campaign promoted

polar bear viewing in Churchill, which included full-page wraps in daily newspapers in Winnipeg, Regina and Calgary while individual operator ads ran throughout the newspapers.

• In November, Travel Manitoba surveyed Manitobans on the impact of the summer marketing campaigns, which included a question on the impact of the polar bear lure piece. Around three-quarters of survey respondents felt the brochure motivated them to some extent to consider a trip to Churchill while nearly three in ten booked a trip to Churchill because of the brochure.

Impact of Polar Bear Lure Brochure on Motivation Around three-quarters felt the brochure motivated them to some extent

Nearly three in ten booked a trip to Churchill based on the brochure

15.4%

Yes, 27%

47 25

25

No, 73%

2 YES, A LOT

YES, A LITTLE

NO

UNSURE

Question: Did the Come find your heart in Churchill, Manitoba brochure motivate you to consider a trip to Churchill or find out more about Churchill vacation options?

Base: Those who recall recieving the Come find your heart in Churchill Brochure (n=227)

6

Question: Have you booked an upcoming trip to Churchill?

Base: Those who said the Come find your heart Churchill brochure motivated them a little or a lot (n=164)

N O R T H E R N M A N I T O B A T O U R I S M S T R AT E G Y

• Travel Manitoba collaborated with five local content creators to travel to Churchill during October and November, each with a different tour operator to promote their experiences to Manitobans, encouraging them to travel north in their own province.

• The Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star and Forbes.com ran articles featuring northern Manitoba tourism products and destinations.

• A northern lights marketing campaign launched in winter 2022 to encourage Manitobans and Canadians to book trips to Churchill. Highlights of the campaign include: - A northern lights lure print piece featuring trip packages from five Churchill partners.

Travel Manitoba distributed over 300,000 copies via direct mail to households in Manitoba (200,000), Calgary (50,000) and Montréal (50,000).

- Full-page ads ran for four non-consecutive weeks throughout the campaign period

in Winnipeg, Brandon, Saskatoon, Regina and Thunder Bay. Half-page ads ran in rural Manitoba newspapers.

- Social media content supported digital marketing efforts and included an eNewsletter contest with 3,000 entrants to win a northern lights adventure trip.

- A group media trip with Frontiers North Adventures took place March 6–13 and included Canadian and U.S. media.

• Travel Manitoba collaborated with four Churchill businesses to host 21 travel trade guests on familiarization tours. Trade guest participated in a variety of experiences in Winnipeg and Churchill including polar bear, beluga whale and northern lights viewing, dogsledding and other cultural experiences. Travel to and from Churchill was done by plane and train so trade guests could experience both options.

Collaborate on Marketing and Product Development Strategies Status: Ongoing • Travel Manitoba continues to create and maintain strong partnerships with tourism operators in Manitoba’s North. Partnership opportunities were limited in 2021/22 because of the pandemic. Travel Manitoba focused instead on linking businesses to support programs and communicating industry needs to government.

• The North Central Community Futures Development Corporation is leading the Northern Manitoba Snowmobile Tourism Strategic Plan with Travel Manitoba participating as part of the project management team. In late 2021, the

SledMB53 website launched in support of the Northern Manitoba Snowmobile Tourism Strategy. The website features an interactive map of six northern communities and lists amenities available to tourists, such as food, lodging and fuel. Visitors to the websites can link to each community’s tourism website, snowmobile club website or Facebook page and download a digital map of popular routes on designated Snoman trails.

P R O G R E S S R E P O R T 2021/22

7

Strategic Priority 3

Access to Employee Training and Education in Tourism/Hospitality

New Market-Ready Products Lead to Increased Visitation

TOURISM PRODUCT AND EXPERIENCE DEVELOPMENT

Status: Ongoing

Status: Ongoing

• The Manitoba Indigenous Tourism Association Summit held in September 2021 featured a number of training and information sessions. Topics included running and marketing your business digitally, partnerships in the tourism industry and best business practices.

• In November 2021, Travel Manitoba launched the Tourism Innovation and Recovery Fund (TIRF). The funding is designed to assist tourism operators to adapt to changing customer expectations and increase the availability of compelling market- and export-ready experiences, while supporting the industry recovery from the impacts of COVID-19. The program had two streams;

Establish Destination Area Tourism Plans Status: Complete in 2017 - Update • In 2017, Travel Manitoba completed destination area assessments for Churchill, Thompson and the Northwest (including Flin Flon and The Pas). In 2022, Travel Manitoba launched a destination management assessment study. The project seeks to identify transformational experience development opportunities that could have a significant impact on visitor spending in Manitoba. Destination area assessments for Churchill, northwest Manitoba and Thompson that were previously completed as a key initiative

under the Northern Tourism Strategy will be used in conjunction with the new Manitoba-wide study to form the basis for developing a Manitoba Destination Management Strategic Framework.

• Travel Manitoba completed a competitive assessment of northern lights tourism to support the development of northern lights products. The goal is to position Manitoba as a northern lights destination and establish northern lights viewing as Churchill’s “third season” in addition to polar bears and beluga whales.

• The Sled Friendly Program was launched in late fall to support the Northern Manitoba Snowmobile Tourism Strategy with assistance from Travel Manitoba and the Manitoba Tourism Education Council (MTEC). The training provides an opportunity to showcase top-notch hospitality and snowmobile related amenities. The training can be accessed at SLEDMB53.ca.

• Travel Manitoba and MTEC supported the Tourism Industry Association Manitoba working group to host virtual webinars and training sessions in late 2021 and early 2022 that were available to any interested tourism businesses in Manitoba.

• Over 200 industry participants attended Travel Manitoba’s “Diversity and Inclusion Matters: Fostering Understanding in Manitoba’s Tourism Industry” in April. The conference was open to all Manitoba tourism organizations and operators, and participants learned about diversity, equity, and inclusion and why it matters to the tourism industry.

- Experience Enhancement Stream: Provided a maximum of $15,000 to cover up to 85 per cent of eligible project costs to assist tourism businesses enhance or diversify experiences.

- New Experience Development Stream: Provided a maximum of $25,000 for up to 85 per cent of eligible project costs to assist new or existing Manitoba tourism business develop new market- and exportready experiences.

• The one-time funding opportunity provided $1.1 million over 2021/22 and 2022/23 to 50 Manitoba tourism operators, 13 (26 per cent) of the funded projects operate in northern Manitoba.

• An inaugural guided snowmobile trip through northern Manitoba from Sasagiu Rapids Lodge north to Churchill took place in March, 2022. In partnership with Heartland Tours, North Star Tours and SledMB53, Quest for the Bay: Northern Manitoba Snowmobile Adventure is expected to become an annual event.

↑ Churchill

8

N O R T H E R N M A N I T O B A T O U R I S M S T R AT E G Y

P R O G R E S S R E P O R T 2021/22

9

Strategic Priority 3

Access to Employee Training and Education in Tourism/Hospitality

New Market-Ready Products Lead to Increased Visitation

TOURISM PRODUCT AND EXPERIENCE DEVELOPMENT

Status: Ongoing

Status: Ongoing

• The Manitoba Indigenous Tourism Association Summit held in September 2021 featured a number of training and information sessions. Topics included running and marketing your business digitally, partnerships in the tourism industry and best business practices.

• In November 2021, Travel Manitoba launched the Tourism Innovation and Recovery Fund (TIRF). The funding is designed to assist tourism operators to adapt to changing customer expectations and increase the availability of compelling market- and export-ready experiences, while supporting the industry recovery from the impacts of COVID-19. The program had two streams;

Establish Destination Area Tourism Plans Status: Complete in 2017 - Update • In 2017, Travel Manitoba completed destination area assessments for Churchill, Thompson and the Northwest (including Flin Flon and The Pas). In 2022, Travel Manitoba launched a destination management assessment study. The project seeks to identify transformational experience development opportunities that could have a significant impact on visitor spending in Manitoba. Destination area assessments for Churchill, northwest Manitoba and Thompson that were previously completed as a key initiative

under the Northern Tourism Strategy will be used in conjunction with the new Manitoba-wide study to form the basis for developing a Manitoba Destination Management Strategic Framework.

• Travel Manitoba completed a competitive assessment of northern lights tourism to support the development of northern lights products. The goal is to position Manitoba as a northern lights destination and establish northern lights viewing as Churchill’s “third season” in addition to polar bears and beluga whales.

• The Sled Friendly Program was launched in late fall to support the Northern Manitoba Snowmobile Tourism Strategy with assistance from Travel Manitoba and the Manitoba Tourism Education Council (MTEC). The training provides an opportunity to showcase top-notch hospitality and snowmobile related amenities. The training can be accessed at SLEDMB53.ca.

• Travel Manitoba and MTEC supported the Tourism Industry Association Manitoba working group to host virtual webinars and training sessions in late 2021 and early 2022 that were available to any interested tourism businesses in Manitoba.

• Over 200 industry participants attended Travel Manitoba’s “Diversity and Inclusion Matters: Fostering Understanding in Manitoba’s Tourism Industry” in April. The conference was open to all Manitoba tourism organizations and operators, and participants learned about diversity, equity, and inclusion and why it matters to the tourism industry.

- Experience Enhancement Stream: Provided a maximum of $15,000 to cover up to 85 per cent of eligible project costs to assist tourism businesses enhance or diversify experiences.

- New Experience Development Stream: Provided a maximum of $25,000 for up to 85 per cent of eligible project costs to assist new or existing Manitoba tourism business develop new market- and exportready experiences.

• The one-time funding opportunity provided $1.1 million over 2021/22 and 2022/23 to 50 Manitoba tourism operators, 13 (26 per cent) of the funded projects operate in northern Manitoba.

• An inaugural guided snowmobile trip through northern Manitoba from Sasagiu Rapids Lodge north to Churchill took place in March, 2022. In partnership with Heartland Tours, North Star Tours and SledMB53, Quest for the Bay: Northern Manitoba Snowmobile Adventure is expected to become an annual event.

↑ Churchill

8

N O R T H E R N M A N I T O B A T O U R I S M S T R AT E G Y

P R O G R E S S R E P O R T 2021/22

9

Indigenous Tourism Experiences Are Established

Extend the Tourism Season in Destination Areas

Status: Ongoing

Status: In progress

• Travel Manitoba, Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC) and Indigenous Tourism Manitoba (ITM) launched the updated Manitoba Indigenous Tourism Strategy in September 2021.

• ITM held its first virtual summit “Honouring Culture and Sharing Tradition – a strong future for Indigenous Tourism in Manitoba” in September 2021.

• A draft of the ITM business plan is complete and ITM hired a CEO. • Travel Manitoba created the Adventure to Understanding video to promote Indigenous tourism and created a Destination Spotlight video for Churchill: Wildlife, Storytelling & Indigenous History.

• ITAC launched their The Original Original film and poster series; a collection of

striking imagery that visually encapsulates the spirit of Indigenous travel experiences across Canada. The campaign features Wapusk Adventures in Churchill.

• The ITAC Manitoba Regional Coordinator has been reaching out to Indigenous communities who are interested in developing tourism as a mechanism for economic development. Ongoing COVID-19 restrictions and outbreaks have limited the ability to meet with communities; however, meetings have taken place with Opaskwayak Cree Nation.

• ITAC’s Manitoba Coordinator visited Churchill in late February 2022 and met with local Indigenous operators to assess market readiness levels and begin to bridge the gap between market-ready Indigenous businesses in Churchill and the travel industry.

• A competitive assessment of northern lights tourism was undertaken to support the development of northern lights products and position Manitoba as a northern lights destination and establish a third season in Churchill.

• Located directly under the auroral oval, Churchill provides a northern lights viewing experience that meets or exceeds larger global destinations, encompassing an extensive cultural and scientific heritage,

as well as a wealth of unique and engaging photographic backdrops. This research indicated that Churchill’s subarctic location could support an extension of the current northern lights season from January – March to December – April.

However, higher travel costs (relative to other destinations) and the availability of accommodations and dining options remain challenging.

Strategic Priority 4

INFRASTRUCTURE AND DEVELOPMENT Strategic Air, Road and Rail Infrastructure is Enhanced and Maintained Status: In progress

↓ Northern Manitoba Trappers’ Festival, The Pas

• Advancing improvements related to transportation and connectivity is a priority area in the updated Manitoba Tourism Strategy, which continues to be addressed with relevant communities and government departments through the execution of that strategy.

↓ Flin Flon

• Air and rail service to Manitoba’s North is gradually recovering from travel restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 global pandemic. Direct flights from the U.S. to Winnipeg are still severely limited, posing additional challenges for remote, fly-in hunting and fishing operators in Manitoba.

10

N O R T H E R N M A N I T O B A T O U R I S M S T R AT E G Y

P R O G R E S S R E P O R T 2021/22

11

Indigenous Tourism Experiences Are Established

Extend the Tourism Season in Destination Areas

Status: Ongoing

Status: In progress

• Travel Manitoba, Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC) and Indigenous Tourism Manitoba (ITM) launched the updated Manitoba Indigenous Tourism Strategy in September 2021.

• ITM held its first virtual summit “Honouring Culture and Sharing Tradition – a strong future for Indigenous Tourism in Manitoba” in September 2021.

• A draft of the ITM business plan is complete and ITM hired a CEO. • Travel Manitoba created the Adventure to Understanding video to promote Indigenous tourism and created a Destination Spotlight video for Churchill: Wildlife, Storytelling & Indigenous History.

• ITAC launched their The Original Original film and poster series; a collection of

striking imagery that visually encapsulates the spirit of Indigenous travel experiences across Canada. The campaign features Wapusk Adventures in Churchill.

• The ITAC Manitoba Regional Coordinator has been reaching out to Indigenous communities who are interested in developing tourism as a mechanism for economic development. Ongoing COVID-19 restrictions and outbreaks have limited the ability to meet with communities; however, meetings have taken place with Opaskwayak Cree Nation.

• ITAC’s Manitoba Coordinator visited Churchill in late February 2022 and met with local Indigenous operators to assess market readiness levels and begin to bridge the gap between market-ready Indigenous businesses in Churchill and the travel industry.

• A competitive assessment of northern lights tourism was undertaken to support the development of northern lights products and position Manitoba as a northern lights destination and establish a third season in Churchill.

• Located directly under the auroral oval, Churchill provides a northern lights viewing experience that meets or exceeds larger global destinations, encompassing an extensive cultural and scientific heritage,

as well as a wealth of unique and engaging photographic backdrops. This research indicated that Churchill’s subarctic location could support an extension of the current northern lights season from January – March to December – April.

However, higher travel costs (relative to other destinations) and the availability of accommodations and dining options remain challenging.

Strategic Priority 4

INFRASTRUCTURE AND DEVELOPMENT Strategic Air, Road and Rail Infrastructure is Enhanced and Maintained Status: In progress

↓ Northern Manitoba Trappers’ Festival, The Pas

• Advancing improvements related to transportation and connectivity is a priority area in the updated Manitoba Tourism Strategy, which continues to be addressed with relevant communities and government departments through the execution of that strategy.

↓ Flin Flon

• Air and rail service to Manitoba’s North is gradually recovering from travel restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 global pandemic. Direct flights from the U.S. to Winnipeg are still severely limited, posing additional challenges for remote, fly-in hunting and fishing operators in Manitoba.

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CONCLUSION

Strategic Priority 5

ENSURE THAT REGULATORY ENVIRONMENTS ARE MORE CONDUCIVE TO TOURISM BUSINESS SUCCESS Government Regulations are Reviewed and Streamlined Status: In progress

The Manitoba Government Implements Education and Training Initiatives Status: In progress

• Travel Manitoba continues to work to identify permitting and regulatory challenges affecting the growth of the tourism sector.

Travel Manitoba meets with the Minister of Sports, Culture and Heritage on a quarterly basis and annually with the Premier.

• Labour shortage is one of the most significant barriers coming out of the pandemic.

Re-attracting a displaced workforce is a key priority for the tourism sector.

• Travel Manitoba is working with the Manitoba Tourism Education Council, the Manitoba Hotel Association and the Manitoba Restaurant and Food services Association to launch a new recruitment campaign to address the labour shortage.

The campaign launched in May 2022.

The Northern Manitoba Tourism Strategy 2017-2022, created a five-year plan to support the growth of tourism in northern Manitoba.

Under the guidance of the Northern Tourism Advisory Committee, Travel Manitoba has made considerable progress in advancing the Northern Tourism Strategy. While the effects of the pandemic made it impossible to achieve the initial goal of increasing tourism spending in northern Manitoba to $151 million

by March 2022, significant progress was made in all the strategic priority areas, including: • Creating targeted marketing campaigns and new content development (blog posts, videos, photos), and visitor guides to promote northern destination areas.

• Completing destination area assessments for northern Manitoba to identify gaps and priorities.

• Improving community engagement scores in the DestinationNext assessment over a four-year period.

• Supporting the development and implementation of a Northern Snowmobile Tourism Strategic Plan.

Progress in these areas helped Northern Manitoba’s tourism sector build resiliency and weather the pandemic. Travel Manitoba will work with the Northern Tourism Advisory Committee to launch a new Northern Tourism Strategy in 2022/23 that aligns with the updated Manitoba Tourism Strategy.

An updated Manitoba Tourism Strategy was launched in early 2021 to mitigate economic and business losses in Manitoba’s tourism industry resulting from the pandemic.

New targets were set to rebuild the visitor economy to 2019 levels by 2024 and generate sustainable long-term growth for Manitoba’s visitor economy with a target to grow visitor spending levels by 50 per cent in 2030 compared to 2019.

PHOTO: THE BRIGADE

• Launching place brands for Flin Flon, Thompson and The Pas / OCN.

• Supporting the expansion of Churchill’s tourism season through the winter with the promotion of northern lights experiences.

↑ York Factory

↑ North Seal River

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CONCLUSION

Strategic Priority 5

ENSURE THAT REGULATORY ENVIRONMENTS ARE MORE CONDUCIVE TO TOURISM BUSINESS SUCCESS Government Regulations are Reviewed and Streamlined Status: In progress

The Manitoba Government Implements Education and Training Initiatives Status: In progress

• Travel Manitoba continues to work to identify permitting and regulatory challenges affecting the growth of the tourism sector.

Travel Manitoba meets with the Minister of Sports, Culture and Heritage on a quarterly basis and annually with the Premier.

• Labour shortage is one of the most significant barriers coming out of the pandemic.

Re-attracting a displaced workforce is a key priority for the tourism sector.

• Travel Manitoba is working with the Manitoba Tourism Education Council, the Manitoba Hotel Association and the Manitoba Restaurant and Food services Association to launch a new recruitment campaign to address the labour shortage.

The campaign launched in May 2022.

The Northern Manitoba Tourism Strategy 2017-2022, created a five-year plan to support the growth of tourism in northern Manitoba.

Under the guidance of the Northern Tourism Advisory Committee, Travel Manitoba has made considerable progress in advancing the Northern Tourism Strategy. While the effects of the pandemic made it impossible to achieve the initial goal of increasing tourism spending in northern Manitoba to $151 million

by March 2022, significant progress was made in all the strategic priority areas, including: • Creating targeted marketing campaigns and new content development (blog posts, videos, photos), and visitor guides to promote northern destination areas.

• Completing destination area assessments for northern Manitoba to identify gaps and priorities.

• Improving community engagement scores in the DestinationNext assessment over a four-year period.

• Supporting the development and implementation of a Northern Snowmobile Tourism Strategic Plan.

Progress in these areas helped Northern Manitoba’s tourism sector build resiliency and weather the pandemic. Travel Manitoba will work with the Northern Tourism Advisory Committee to launch a new Northern Tourism Strategy in 2022/23 that aligns with the updated Manitoba Tourism Strategy.

An updated Manitoba Tourism Strategy was launched in early 2021 to mitigate economic and business losses in Manitoba’s tourism industry resulting from the pandemic.

New targets were set to rebuild the visitor economy to 2019 levels by 2024 and generate sustainable long-term growth for Manitoba’s visitor economy with a target to grow visitor spending levels by 50 per cent in 2030 compared to 2019.

PHOTO: THE BRIGADE

• Launching place brands for Flin Flon, Thompson and The Pas / OCN.

• Supporting the expansion of Churchill’s tourism season through the winter with the promotion of northern lights experiences.

↑ York Factory

↑ North Seal River

12

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Travel Manitoba 21 Forks Market Road Winnipeg, Manitoba R3C 4T7 1-800-665-0040 www.travelmanitoba.com