2021-22 Annual Report by Travel Manitoba

Leading Tourism Recovery 2021/2022 Annual Report

↓ Wekusko Falls Provincial Park

LEADING TOURISM RECOVERY

Table of Contents 4 Message from the Board Chair and President & CEO 7

About Travel Manitoba

The Tourism Industry in Manitoba

eading the Recovery of an Industry L Devastated by COVID-19

Forecasting Recovery

12 Lead Brand and Market Positioning 12

Summer 2021 Campaign 14 Winter Explorer Campaign 15 Northern Lights Campaign 16 Manitoba Brew Pass 17 Tourism Incentive Rebate Program 18 Place Branding 19 International Marketing 21 Content Marketing 26 Digital Marketing 27 Fishing & Hunting 30 Advance Destination Management 30 30 31 33 33 34

Destination Management Assessment Tourism Innovation and Recovery Fund Indigenous Tourism Francophone Tourism Northern Tourism

oster Collaboration and Build Support F for Tourism

Partnership and Industry Relations 39 Awards Wins in 2021/22 40

Board of Directors

Our People

Financial Statements

ON THE COVER

Q aumajuq PHOTO: JP MEDIA WORKS

2021/ 2022 ANNUAL REPOR T

Message from the Board Chair and President & CEO Looking back on 2021/22, what we may remember most is the impact of the ever-changing nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the restrictions that guided our lives to keep us all as safe as possible. In May, significant restrictions were announced, including widespread closures of businesses and restrictions on gatherings. By June, the province moved forward with the first step of reopening; gathering sizes increased and restaurants were allowed to reopen. In August, Manitoba took another step toward fully reopening as the province announced that more businesses would be allowed to reopen and the mandatory indoor mask mandate would be lifted. By fall, proof of COVID-19 vaccination status became a requirement to enter many Manitoba businesses and attend some events. By November, amid a rise in case numbers across the province, further restrictions came into effect. Just in time for the holidays, new restrictions took effect as the province struggled to deal with a surge of the Omicron variant. In February, as the COVID-19 situation began to stabilize, the province announced cautious steps to reducing health orders, with the goal of being restriction-free by the spring, and in March, the use of COVID-19 vaccine cards and all other public health restrictions in the province came to an end. For tourism businesses large and small, such a rollercoaster ride of uncertainty left an indelible mark on a once thriving and robust industry. However, there have also been clear signs of progress towards recovery, and Travel Manitoba has been working diligently to lead that effort. In December 2021, the Premier reaffirmed during her State of the Province address the provincial government’s commitment to the implementation of the Manitoba Tourism Strategy as a key economic initiative to support recovery from the pandemic. Travel Manitoba is focused on rebuilding the industry from the ravages of the pandemic, and the Manitoba Tourism Strategy is the roadmap for that journey.

↑ Northern lights, Churchill

LEADING TOURISM RECOVERY

With funding from PrairiesCan, Travel Manitoba initiated a destination management assessment for Manitoba to grow tourism offerings by identifying transformational experience development opportunities that could have a significant impact on visitor spending (page 8). Travel Manitoba has also been focusing on the development of workforce skills, workforce recruitment and community business planning. Travel Manitoba prioritized enabling a stronger industry through increased market readiness of existing experiences and the creation of new, innovative experiences. It launched the Tourism Innovation and Recovery Fund to increase the number of marketand export-ready tourism businesses throughout the province, as outlined in the Manitoba Tourism Strategy. The funding program was open to tourism operators, non-profit organizations, businesses and entrepreneurs who have the capacity to develop or enhance tourism products and services (page 30). During the pandemic, the local and hyper-local market became more important than ever, and Travel Manitoba shifted its marketing investment to encourage Manitobans to travel throughout the province, with multi-faceted campaigns for summer road trips (page 12), winter exploring (page 14) and northern lights viewing (page 15). In March 2021, Travel Manitoba provided the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce with $2.5 million to deliver a tourism incentive program (page 17) that provided over 25,000 Manitoba residents with rebates on their staycations, and generated over $5.5 million in sales for Manitoba’s hotels and Star Attractions. With international market restrictions in place throughout most of the year, businesses reliant on international visitors—such as Churchill operators and the fishing industry—were particularly hard-hit. Travel Manitoba advocated for relief on their behalf and invested in marketing initiatives to help them pivot to attracting local visitors. Our travel trade team hosted monthly meetings with Manitoba operators to help them understand current situations, closures, marketing plans and adapted activities (page 19). “Virtual” became the new normal, and Travel Manitoba participated in a virtual Rendez-vous Canada with 155 buyers across 24-hour time zones. In March, our content team hosted the unveiling of the Winnipeg Art Gallery’s new Inuit Art Centre— Qaumajuq—with over 250 media that resulted in over 200 articles or mentions in print and online publications.

2021/ 2022 ANNUAL REPOR T

Recognizing Indigenous tourism can play an important role in reconciliation, Travel Manitoba continued to advance Indigenous tourism initiatives that will grow the number of market-ready experiences in the province (page 31). Working jointly with the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada and Indigenous Tourism Manitoba, the first virtual Indigenous Summit was held in September 2021, providing over 170 attendees with marketing and product development skills. Similarly, Travel Manitoba advanced initiatives to increase the number of market-ready experiences in priority sectors such as winter, Francophone tourism, water-based experiences and human rights learning. The resilience of the tourism industry in Manitoba was put to the test in 2021/22. As we move toward a post-pandemic future, that resilience will pay dividends, resulting in a tourism industry that is agile in meeting changing visitor expectations; innovative in creating new and unique world-class experiences; and well-prepared to return not only to how things were, but also to arrive in a new place better than before.

Stuart Murray Chair of the Board of Directors, Travel Manitoba

Colin Ferguson President & CEO, Travel Manitoba

↑ Clear Lake PHOTO: SIMPLY ROSIE

LEADING TOURISM RECOVERY

About Travel Manitoba VISION Manitoba is a must-visit four season destination generating sustainable economic growth by delivering inspiring and authentic experiences in unique urban, rural and wild settings.

MISSION Travel Manitoba will support the recovery of tourism’s contribution to the provincial economy by leading the marketing of Manitoba as a tourism destination and by fostering a competitive and sustainable tourism industry.

TARGETS Recover to the 2019 annual tourism expenditure level of $1.6 billion by 2024. Achieve $2.5 billion in annual tourism expenditures by 2030 (50 per cent growth).

GOALS Lead Brand and Market Positioning Advance Destination Management Foster Collaboration Build Support for Tourism

2021/ 2022 ANNUAL REPOR T

The Tourism Industry in Manitoba PRELIMINARY VISITOR SPENDING & VISITATION OVERALL 2021

MANITOBA

75%

$720 Million 6,538,000 person visits $110 per person visit

92%

—

19%

OTHER CANADIAN PROVINCES $184.6 Million 483,000 person visits $382 per person visit

6.8%

—

UNITED STATES

$32.8 Million 70,100 person visits $468 per person visit

—

OVERSEAS TOTAL VISITOR SPENDING $967,755,000

$30.2 Million 13,500 person visits $2,244 per person visit

0.2%

TOTAL VISITATION 7,105,000

Source: Statistics Canada – National Travel Survey (NTS) – 2021 Estimates. Statistics Canada Visitor Travel Survey (VTS) Small Area Estimation (SAE) – 2021 Estimates.

MANITOBA TOURISM STRATEGY

An updated Manitoba Tourism Strategy was launched in August 2021. 8

LEADING TOURISM RECOVERY

Leading the Recovery of an Industry Devastated by COVID-19 It is impossible to talk about the path forward for tourism without talking about the impact of COVID-19. While it was felt in all sectors, the travel, tourism and hospitality industry was decimated by the outbreak—and continues to struggle. To put it in perspective, the impact on the tourism sector in Canada was more dire than the impacts experienced after 9/11, SARS and the 2008 economic crisis combined. In Manitoba, hospitality jobs account for almost half of all jobs lost during the pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, Manitoba’s tourism industry supported close to 21,000 direct and indirect jobs and tourism wages. Direct spending contributed to $649 million in tax revenues to the economy, money that went to support critical public priorities such as health care and education. Manitoba welcomed 10.5 million visitors who spent $1.64 billion in 2019, spending that was dispersed throughout the province and contributed to the development of regional communities. The impact of the pandemic has proven the tourism economy plays an important role in local and provincial economic wealth and prosperity. During her State of the Province address in December 2021, Premier Heather Stefanson confirmed her government’s commitment to the delivery of the Manitoba Tourism Strategy. The government recognizes that Manitoba’s tourism industry will play a central role in the province’s economic recovery and future success. Over the past three years, Travel Manitoba has had success aligning the tourism industry with the award-winning Manitoba, Canada’s Heart…Beats brand, and as a result, we realized record tourism expenditures of $1.64 billion in 2019. Our Place Branding program is working, and the 12 place brands created to date are attracting attention as high-potential destination areas, giving Winnipeggers more reason to venture beyond the city limits and attracting visitors from nearby provinces. We’ve also advanced Indigenous, Francophone and northern tourism strategies and have made tremendous progress on these initiatives. Travel Manitoba has emphasized keeping in touch with our partners in the industry, delivering many programs to support them in mitigating the impacts of the pandemic. Our research demonstrates the aggressive promotion of our “Home is Where the Heart is”

2021/ 2022 ANNUAL REPOR T

campaign was successful in driving traffic throughout the province. Travel Manitoba’s shift in marketing investment to the local market resulted in many rural accommodations seeing high occupancy rates in 2021, some to record levels. Recognizing that the post-pandemic tourism industry will bring with it greater competition and higher consumer expectations, Travel Manitoba prioritized its support to industry in improving market readiness and in the creation of new, innovative experiences. The Tourism Innovation and Recovery Fund, designed to enhance existing market ready experiences and create new ones, received over 120 applications. As a result of demand, over $1 million in project support was provided to over 50 tourism businesses, and 15 per cent of that budget was to the development of authentic Indigenous tourism experiences. Projects that received support were located throughout the province, and all are expected to provide an economic benefit to businesses and the province by increasing visitation, visitor spending, and visitors’ length of stay in Manitoba. Travel Manitoba’s future focus will be on building an industry that is better than before: more competitive and digitally savvy, with a broader range of innovative, unique experiences that exceed visitor expectations. The Manitoba Tourism Strategy is the roadmap for achieving that goal. Based on our most recent forecasts, the new targets for the Manitoba Tourism Strategy are to recover to the 2019 annual tourism expenditure level of $1.6 billion by 2024 and to achieve $2.5 billion in annual tourism expenditures by 2030 (50 per cent growth). An update to the strategy was launched in August 2021. The vision of the strategy remains the same: to position Manitoba as a must-visit four season destination generating sustainable economic growth by delivering inspiring and authentic experiences in unique urban, rural and wild settings. Travel Manitoba will continue to support the recovery of tourism’s contribution to the provincial economy by leading the marketing of Manitoba as a tourism destination and by fostering a competitive and sustainable tourism industry. We will focus our marketing on regaining market share in what is now a more competitive environment, as destinations around the world will be investing heavily to capture pent-up travel demand.

↑ International Peace Gardens PHOTO: INTERNATIONAL PEACE GARDENS

FORECASTING RECOVERY Travel Manitoba engaged Tourism Economics to complete a forecast of Manitoba’s tourism recovery up to 2030 under three scenarios (upside, baseline and downside). Under the baseline scenario, Manitoba returns to 2019 visitor spending by 2024. When the economic losses for the 2020–2024 period are totaled, the impact on visitor spending and the overall economy is significant. Under the baseline scenario over the 2020–2024 period, it is expected that 13,000 jobs will be lost, visitor spending will reduce by $1.6 billion and provincial tax revenues will reduce by a total of $280 million. VISITOR SPENDING IN MANITOBA, THREE SCENARIOS

BASELINE VISITOR SPENDING AND ECONOMIC LOSSES 2019

2020

2021

2022

TOTAL

$1,629M

$909M

$1,049M

$1,302M -

OUTCOMES $3 B

Visitor Spending, $ LOSSES

$2.5 B $2 B $1.5 B $1 B $500 M $0 M

2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030

UPSIDE

BASELINE

DOWNSIDE

Visitor Spending, $

$721M

$580M

$327M

Visitor Spending, %

44%

36%

20%

$1,629M -

Business Sales

$1,404M $1,130M

$638M

$3,172M

GDP

$624M

$503M

$284M

$1,411M

Wages

$360M

$290M

$164M

$813M

Jobs (FTE)

5,905M

4,684M

2,630M

Taxes

$279M

$225M

$127M

$631M

Federal

$131M

$106M

$60M

$296M

Provincial

$123M

$99M

$56M

$279M

Municipal

$25M

$20M

$11M

$57M

LEADING TOURISM RECOVERY

RESIDENT SENTIMENT

TRAVEL SENTIMENT OF MANITOBANS:

Through a partnership with Leger Research, Destination Canada has been tracking residents’ acceptance of visitors. Unsurprisingly, Manitobans have shown a greater willingness to welcome visitors from a community near them or from within the province (blue and orange lines in the chart below). Beginning in June 2021, Manitobans began to feel more comfortable welcoming visitors from other provinces. For visitors from the U.S. and other countries (dark blue and yellow lines), acceptance was very low early in the pandemic, but has been rising (with the exception of a significant dip during the Omicron wave) and is now approaching pre-COVID-19 acceptance levels. Prior to the pandemic, international visitor acceptance levels in Manitoba ranged from 53 to 58 per cent.

“I feel safe to travel to…”

MANITOBA RESIDENT SENTIMENT:

Destination Canada has tracked consumer acceptance of tourism advertising by residents since July 2020. Generally, Manitobans are more accepting of advertising targeting travellers from a nearby community or within the province. Overall acceptance of tourism advertising has increased over time. Acceptance of advertising targeting travellers in other provinces increased dramatically beginning in summer 2021.

“I would welcome visitors travelling to my community…” 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40%

100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10%

OTHER PROVINCES

FEB 1

DEC 7

JAN 11

NOV 16

OCT 5

OCT 26

SEPT 14

AUG 3

AUG 24

JUL 13

JUN 1

OTHER COMMUNITIES NEAR ME

JUN 22

MAY 11

MAR 9

APR 20

FEB 16

JAN 5

JAN 26

NOV 3

NOV 24

SEP 15

OCT 13

COMMUNITIES IN MY OWN PROVINCE THE U.S.

INTERNATIONALLY

MANITOBA RESIDENT SENTIMENT:

30%

“How would you feel if you saw an advertisement

20%

promoting your community to visitors…”

10%

FROM OTHER COMMUNITIES NEAR ME FROM OTHER PARTS OF CANDA

JAN 25

NOV 30

SEP 7

OCT 19

JUL 27

JUN 15

MAY 4

MAR 2

JAN 19

OCT 13

NOV 24

AUG 4

AUG 25

JUL 14

JUN 23

JUN 2

MAY 11

FROM OTHER PARTS OF MY PROVINCE

FROM THE U.S.

FROM OTHER COUNTRIES

40 20 0 -20 -40 -60

FROM OTHER COMMUNITIES NEAR ME FROM OTHER PARTS OF CANADA

FEB 15

JAN 18

DEC 7

NOV 9

OCT 12

SEP 14

AUG 17

JUL 20

JUN 22

MAY 25

MAR 9

APR 27

FEB 9

JAN 12

OCT 20

NOV 17

SEP 15

AUG 25

JUL 28

-80

AUG 11

Since mid-September 2020, Destination Canada has also been tracking Manitoban travel sentiment as a measure of how safe Manitobans feel about travelling. Manitobans are more comfortable travelling to destinations within the province but have significantly more discomfort travelling outside the province. Beginning in summer 2021, Manitobans’ comfort in travelling to other provinces increased considerably.

FROM OTHER PARTS OF MY PROVINCE

FROM THE U.S.

FROM OTHER COUNTRIES

Data represents net level of happiness = (very happy + happy) – (very unhappy + unhappy)

Travel Manitoba will continue to lead the recovery of the industry by focusing on four fundamental goals: Lead Brand and Market Positioning Advance Destination Management Foster Collaboration Build Support for Tourism

2021/ 2022 ANNUAL REPOR T

Lead Brand and Market Positioning With barriers to travel in place for most of the year, the importance of the local market was never greater. Travel Manitoba shifted its marketing investment to stimulate travel by locals to rediscover their home province. As a result, many rural accommodations and attractions reported strong seasons, despite the pandemic.

SUMMER 2021 CAMPAIGN Under ever-changing regulations, when allowed, Travel Manitoba continued to encourage Manitobans to travel throughout the province during its summer 2021 campaign. HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

In summer, 200,000 copies of the Manitoba Road Trips Guide were distributed via direct mail. The guide featured 18 unique road trip itineraries that were also used for Travel Manitoba’s blog. French versions were also created. Television commercials based on the road trips theme targeted seniors, millennials and families, and a longer version targeted all audience segments on social media. Ads in the Winnipeg Free Press, Brandon Sun and rural papers and on Expedia.com supported the campaign. A digital campaign driving users to a landing page included a sequenced YouTube campaign, using specific ad lengths with specific messaging in a full-funnel approach to drive users to the itineraries; a full-scale digital campaign with Expedia.com including display, video and social and native advertising. A paid TikTok campaign featured 10 road trip videos targeting younger Manitobans. Great Manitoba Sweepstakes: Travel Manitoba also encouraged residents to support Manitoba businesses by shopping local with a contest that offered a tremendous prize package. The contest received over 28,000 entries and resulted in 19,000 new email subscribers to Travel Manitoba’s e-newsletter.

RESULTS

In October 2021, Travel Manitoba partnered with Probe Research to survey Manitobans on the impact of the road trip campaign. Highlights from the survey include: In an open-ended question on what travel advertising comes to mind, “Churchill/polar bears/northern Manitoba” was identified—for the first time since the question has been included—by 12 per cent of respondents. “Manitoba tourism” was provided by 19 per cent of respondents. For reference, in last year’s survey of Manitobans, 25 per cent of respondents identified “Manitoba tourism”. In earlier surveys, Manitoba tourism was not a significant mention. This is a strong indication that Manitobans are seeing more advertising about travelling locally. For the second year running, Manitoba, Canada’s Heart… Beats was identified by the largest percentage of Manitobans as the Travel Manitoba slogan. The number jumped from 34 per cent the previous year to 40 per cent last year. Thirty-three per cent of respondents were aware of the road trip campaign and 38 per cent recalled seeing the road trip commercials once they were shown. For 35 per cent of respondents, the commercials improved the appeal of Manitoba as a travel destination. Twenty-three per cent recalled receiving the Road Trip Guide in the mail. Recall of the 2021 Road Trip Guide was higher than the recall for the 2019 Inspiration Guide. Of those that recalled the Road Trip Guide, 23 per cent said it motivated them a lot to consider a road trip in the province and 51 per cent a little. For those who went on a road trip, 16 per cent used the guide a lot and 39 per cent a little. Fourteen per cent recalled receiving the Churchill brochure in the mail. Of those that received it, 25 per cent said it influenced them a lot and 47 per cent a little. For those that said the brochure motivated them a little or a lot, 27 per cent actually booked a trip to Churchill.

LEADING TOURISM RECOVERY

EXPOSURE TO THE ROAD TRIP GUIDE VS INSPIRATION GUIDE

IMPACT OF THE ROAD TRIP GUIDE ON DESIRE TO TRAVEL IN MANITOBA VS INSPIRATION GUIDE

Around one-third recall recieving both guides, however significantly more Inspiration Guides were distributed in 2019, making recall per guides distributed higher for the Road Trip Guide.

Three-quarters felt the Road Trip Guide motivated them to consider a road trip in the province versus 64% for the Inspiration Guide in 2019.

62%

ROAD TRIP GUIDE (2021) 51%

59%

74%= Yes

23% 18%

23% 6%

3% 5% YES, IN THE MAIL

YES, AT A TRAVEL MANITOBA VISITOR INFORMATION CENTRE

YES, AT A CO-OP STORE

ROAD TRIP GUIDE (2021)

8% 9%

YES, SOMEWHERE ELSE

22%

UNSURE YES, A LOT

INSPIRATION GUIDE (2019)

Survey Question: Do you recall recieving this Road Trip Guide in the mail or at a Travel Manitoba Visitor Information Centre?

YES, A LITTLE

UNSURE

Survey Question: Did the Manitoba Road Trip Guide motivate you to consider a trip in Manitoba or to find out more about Manitoba vacation options? Base: Those who recall receiving the Road Trip Guide (n=303)

INSPIRATION GUIDE (2019)

Base: All respondents (N=1,000)

No, 36%

USE OF ROAD TRIP GUIDE AS INFORMATION SOURCE FOR TRIP Nearly one-half of those who took a Manitoba road trip used the guide to inform their trip.

Survey Question: Did the guide motivate you to consider a trip in Manitoba or finding out more about Manitoba vacation options

Yes, 64%

IMPACT OF BROCHURE ON MOTIVATION TO VISIT CHURCHILL

45% 39%

Around three-quarters felt the brochure motivated them to some extent.

16%

47%

1% YES, A LOT

YES, A LITTLE

UNSURE

Survey Question: Did you use the Manitoba Road Trip Guide as a source of information to take this road trip this summer? Base: Those who went on a Manitoba road trip (n=156)

25%

2% YES, A LOT

YES, A LITTLE

UNSURE

Survey 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 receiving the Come find your heart in Churchill brochure (n=227)

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

Yes, 27%

Survey Question: Have you booked an upcoming trip in Churchill? Base: Those who said the Come find your heart in Churchill brochure motivated them a little or a lot (n=164)

No, 73%

ALL GRAPHS ON THIS PAGE SOURCED FROM PROBE RESEARCH

2021/ 2022 ANNUAL REPOR T

WINTER EXPLORER CAMPAIGN A robust Winter Explorer campaign was launched to provide safe travel opportunities for the winter 2021/22 season. CAMPAIGN DURATION

November 2021 to March 2022 PRIMARY MARKETS

Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Northwest Ontario PRIMARY AUDIENCES

Cultural Explorers, Authentic Experiencers HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

REVENUE GENERATION

$48,000+ in partner revenue OBJECTIVES

Website clicks, engagement, print distribution, v ideo views DIGITAL GOALS

Brand awareness, site traffic, engagement

travelmanitob a . com

Winter Explorer Guide

Television commercials ran in December, January and February. A Winter Explorer Guide featured winter activities and regional listings of accommodations and restaurants. About 400,000 copies of the guide were distributed via direct mail to households in Manitoba (200,000), Saskatchewan (100,000) and Northwest Ontario (100,000) using Prizm and EQ postal code targeting. A French version of the guide was also produced. Ads ran in the Winnipeg Free Press, Brandon Sun and rural papers (daily and weekly) in Saskatchewan, Northwest Ontario and Manitoba from November to March. An all-channel digital marketing campaign promoted partners and highlighted “Things to Do”. A custom landing page was created and garnered 162,783 page views from November 1–February 28, with average time on page of 1:30 minutes. Seventeen blog posts were created, with over 300,000 pageviews and an average time on page of 5:08 minutes.

WINTER EXPLORER GUIDE

DIGITAL CAMPAIGN RESULTS:

Travel Manitoba

Ideas for fun in the snow

Winter weekend retreats

Multi-day vacation inspiration

travelmanitoba.com

Over 87,000 sessions driven to TravelManitoba.com via search, social and print content. Over 2,259 clicks driven from our Winter Explorer page to our partners’ featured placements (over 25,000 to our general listings). Over 11 million impressions and 756,952 clicks on the digital Canada-focused Winter Explorer campaign on Facebook and Instagram. Over 12 million impressions and 701,020 clicks on the digital Manitoba-focused Winter Explorer campaign on Facebook and Instagram. Over one million impressions and 23,509 clicks on the Manitobafocused Google search advertisements. Over one million impressions and 14,914 clicks on the Canadafocused Google search advertisements.

OFC

LEADING TOURISM RECOVERY

rchill ne of The goal of this campaign was to encourage Manitobans and Canadians to book a trip to Churchill to see northern lights. The top es on campaign also sought to position Manitoba as a northern lights destination, establish a “third season” in Churchill, increase leads to h to Don’t leave Churchill without finding that Be safe in Churchill generate media and user-generated content. trip keepsake. earned The shops along Kelsey w the partners andperfect To ensure the safety of visitors and residents Boulevard—Churchill’s main drag—feature in Churchill, operators comply with all works of art like carvings, paintings and prints, hern CAMPAIGN health regulations and have put a number as wellDURATION as clothing, toys and other souvenirs. of procedures in place. Please note: ts • It is required that all guests and staff be fully January – March 2022 Visit a local gift shop

immunized with a Health Canada-approved n eager nature enthusiasts COVID-19 vaccination for at least two the majestic atmospheric weeks prior to their scheduled departure. nown as the northern PRIMARY MARKETS • All guests must carry physical proof borealis. Because of its of Health Canada-approved COVID-19 d location beneath the vaccination on their person for the duration gion centred on the Earth’s of their tour, as they may be required to pole), the northern lights present it on check-in at various stages of MANITOBA TARGETS nights of the year. their trip. Acceptable proof of vaccination time for witnessing aurora includes physical, printed or electronic en February and March. vaccination records and/or cards. It is highly northern lights when the recommended that guests carry a physical Be charmed by wildlife st right—a clear night, copy of their COVID-19 vaccination record. for the MONTRÉAL northern lights, stay for theTARGETS ospheric gases and plenty CALGARYCome AND If the guest cannot provide proof, they may wildlife. Don’t be surprised if arctic fox, ring the late winter, the be denied participation and/or boarding. snowy owls, wolves and ptarmigan grab the rchill is at its clearest and • Wear Your Mask: Masks are currently attention of your camera lens. esent in the atmosphere required in all indoor public spaces in to change colour resulting Manitoba, and may be removed only ar hues of green and PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES for eating and drinking. It is the guest’s he collision of solar wind responsibility to provide their own mask se atmospheric gases that for the duration of the trip. o flicker, infusing the dark • Operators have implemented enhanced ncing ribbons of colours. cleaning of vehicles and accommodations, ere are plenty of multi-day and provide access to hand sanitizer and OBJECTIVES ilable for viewing the handwashing stations. Deciding on which one Please refer to each individual business for epends on your level of Pose with the Inukshuk a complete list of their COVID-19 policies. desire for exclusivity Located on the beach along Hudson Bay, the . inukshuk here has been the subject of many DIGITAL GOALS photographs. Add yourself into the picture NOTE: While Travel Manitoba strongly recommends that and enjoy the view—just remember to follow all tourism businesses adhere to the operating protocols the directives on all signs to stay safe. and capacity restrictions allowed by the Manitoba

PHOTO: CºPILOT COLLECTIVE

NORTHERN LIGHTS CAMPAIGN

Chase the northern lights in Churchill, Manitoba

Manitoba, Calgary, Montréal

Rejuvenators, Familiarity Seekers, Learners

PHOTO: RENATO GRANIERI

Authentic Experiencers

Five partner packages promoted

Website clicks, engagement, print distribution, video views At first glance, Churchill is a northern town like any other. Take another look and you’ll see it’s one of a kind. With its ideal spot under the auroral oval, Churchill is one of the best places in the world to view the northern lights. Embrace your adventurous side as peak aurora borealis viewing season is just around the corner. Tour companies and hotels have procedures in place to welcome you safely as you visit this northern gem. If you’ve ever dreamed of witnessing the light show of a lifetime, now is the time to make your dream a reality.

Brand awareness, site traffic, engagement

HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

government, we cannot guarantee the compliance of any business featured in our content. While information is accurate at the time of writing, please contact businesses directly for operating hours and policies and availability of packages and tours. Throughout the province, please continue to practise safe physical distancing and adhere to all recommended guidelines.

A northern lights lure piece featuring trip packages from five Churchill partners was produced. About 300,000 copies were distributed via direct mail to households in Manitoba (200,000), Calgary (50,000) and Montréal (50,000). A special two-page wrap kicked off the campaign in the Winnipeg Free Press in early January. 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. Digital ads on Facebook, YouTube, Google Search and Bing drove traffic to a feature campaign landing page. Packages were promoted via Facebook, Instagram, Google, Bing and YouTube ads and reached people in Winnipeg, rural Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Calgary, Montréal, Toronto and British Columbia. Social media content supported digital efforts and included an e-newsletter contest with 3,000 entrants to win a northern lights adventure trip. A group media trip with Frontiers North Adventures featured Canadian and U.S. media.

2021/ 2022 ANNUAL REPOR T

travelmanitoba .com

A visit to Manitoba means travelling through Treaty 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 Territory and through communities who are signatories to Treaties 6 and 10. It encompasses the original lands of the Anishinaabeg, Anish-Ininiwak, Dakota, Dene, Ininiwak and Nehethowuk and the homeland of the Métis.

DIGITAL CAMPAIGN RESULTS:

Over 62,600 sessions driven to TravelManitoba.com via search, social and print content. Over 487 clicks driven from our Northern Lights Packages page to our partners’ featured packages. Over 11 million impressions and 133,360 clicks on the digital Canada-focused Northern Lights Packages campaign on Facebook and Instagram. Over four million impressions and 37,186 clicks on the digital Manitoba-focused Northern Lights Packages campaign on Facebook and Instagram. Over 67,146 impressions and 4,770 clicks on the Manitobafocused Google search advertisements. Over 172,840 impressions and 7,213 clicks on the Canadafocused Google search advertisements.

↑ Nonsuch Brewing Co.

MANITOBA BREW PASS In November 2021, Travel Manitoba launched the Manitoba Brew Pass featuring 12 local breweries. Utilizing technology partner Bandwango, the Brew Pass allows users to sign up and redeem offers directly from their mobile device. As customers redeem at each location, the breweries are paid out from the pass directly. From November to March, over $80,000 worth of Manitoba Brew Passes were sold, which goes directly back to the local breweries when redeemed.

LEADING TOURISM RECOVERY

TOURISM INCENTIVE REBATE PROGRAM In March 2021, Travel Manitoba provided the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce with $2.5 million to deliver a tourism incentive program. The Chamber’s Tourism Rebate Incentive Program (TRIP) was extremely successful, with over 25,000 Manitoba residents receiving more than $2.2 million in rebates. The total sales to Manitoba’s hotel and attractions were over $5.5 million, resulting in a 2-to-1 return on investment. The program ran in August and September 2021. Travel Manitoba conducted a survey of Manitobans who participated in TRIP. The results indicate the program led to an increase in visitor spending and visitation. Fifty-six per cent of respondents had not been planning a trip or visit prior to the program’s launch. Thinking of the trip you took to access the rebate, had you already planned to stay at the hotel or visit that attraction when the incentive program was announced?

VISIT

TRIPmb.ca TO RECEIVE YOUR REBATE

July 1 - 19, 2021

TOURISM REBATE INCENTIVE PROGRAM

Find your next adventure in Manitoba and get a reward! Wherever you choose to go in Manitoba, your one-night stay in one of the qualifying accommodations is eligible for a rebate of up to $150. A visit to one of the many Manitoba Star Attractions has become even more valuable, visit one of the attractions and receive a 50% rebate on your admission.

56%

No 44%

Yes

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Most respondents visited Winnipeg (36 per cent), with 12 per cent of respondents also identifying The Forks as a destination visited as a result of the program. Riding Mountain National Park, Hecla and Gimli were also popular destinations. The average trip spend, excluding the rebate, was $510.

Fifty-six per cent of respondents were motivated to take an overnight trip. Respondents were also motivated to participate in more activities, visit a new attraction, extend their stay or upgrade their stay.

Which destination and/or attraction did you visit?

Did the program motivate you in any of the following ways? (Please check all that apply)

36%

Winnipeg

56%

To take an overnight trip

27%

To participate in more activities

22%

To visit a new location

12%

To upgrade a stay Not motivated

Other (please specify)

10%

9% 8% 7% 6%

Assiniboine Park & Zoo

13%

To extend a trip

12%

The Forks Hecla Provincial Park

25%

To visit a new attraction

16%

5% 3%

Brandon

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Morden-Winkler

Portage la Prairie

2% 1% 1% 1%

Churchill

2021/ 2022 ANNUAL REPOR T

12%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

PLACE BRANDING With the launch of a new place brand for Dauphin in June 2021, Travel Manitoba’s group of place brand destination grew from 11 to 12. As part of its ongoing COVID-19 recovery efforts, Travel Manitoba again made funding available to all place brands, subject to submission of a proposal that outlined initiatives to support marketing and/or destination development. The funding, to a maximum of $15,000, required a contribution from the applicant of a minimum of $5,000. The proposal had to include initiatives that utilize the place brand, cost estimates, implementation start/end dates and expected results. All current place brands applied for and received funding through the program. Travel Manitoba supported and attended a strategic planning session for the Neepawa Place Brand on February 28, 2022. A new place brand for Winnipeg will be launched at the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce State of the City luncheon on June 8, 2022.

↑ Dauphin Country Fest

LEADING TOURISM RECOVERY

INTERNATIONAL MARKETING AND MARKET DEVELOPMENT Businesses reliant on international travel were hit particularly hard during the pandemic. Travel Manitoba advocated on their behalf and invested in marketing initiatives to assist them in attracting local visitors. To keep abreast of changing travel circumstances due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Travel Manitoba’s travel trade team attended weekly webinars hosted by the various associations and also gathered information from Travel Manitoba’s in-market representatives (General Sales Agents or GSAs) in Germany, the United Kingdom, Australia and China. The travel trade team hosted monthly meetings with all Manitoban operators and experience providers to understand current situations, precautions taken to prepare for closures, and reopening activities, marketing plans and adapted activities (e.g., virtual experiences). The trade team used this opportunity to keep the suppliers informed on market updates, closures, traveller sentiment, tour operator feedback, etc. U.S. AND CANADA

The trade team participated in the following virtual trade shows: May 24: Holbrook Travel Webinar April 19: Education Travel Consortium Sustainability Presentation April 29–30: Nature Photography Virtual Summit May 17–20: Rendez-vous Canada+ June 2: Education Travel Consortium North American Update May 17–20: Virtuoso Ready set go - forums June 9: Expedia agent webinar August 8–13: Virtuoso travel week August 13–17: Student and Youth Travel Association Conference October 25–27: Bienvenue Québec

FAM tours for northern lights season included: EF Tours, Routes Adventures, Vacations by Rail, Via Rail, Fresh Tracks and Maple Fun Tours Joint marketing agreements were executed with the following organizations: Jonview: advertorial in Tariff Discover Holidays: advertorial in Tariff Tauck: consumer webinar with Dr. Stephan Peterson, with over 5,000 in attendance Virtuoso: agent webinars, advertorial in magazine, eblast to Canadian agents Orbridge: catalogue mailing to client base Education Travel Consortium: sponsorship at symposium

The team attended the following shows in person: October 6–8: Tourism Winnipeg and Travel Manitoba joint sales mission to Toronto, the first in-person meetings in two years, and met with eight different tour operators to educate and create awareness for Manitoba. November 8–11: Educational Travel Consortium - in-person conference and trade show in New Orleans, Louisana Travel Manitoba’s trade team was able to return to hosting familiarization (FAM) tours in fall 2021. The following organizations were hosted in Winnipeg and Churchill: Ageless Adventures, Wilderness Travel, CAA travel, Intrepid, Destination Canada. Discover Holidays, Goway Travel and Voyages en Direct

2021/ 2022 ANNUAL REPOR T

RENDEZ-VOUS CANADA 2021

AUSTRALIA

Rendez-vous Canada was held virtually from May 17–21, 2021. The following organizations from Manitoba participated with Travel Manitoba: Tourism Winnipeg, Churchill Wild, Frontiers North Adventures, Lazy Bear Expeditions, Gangler’s Sub-Arctic, Heartland International Travel and Tours, Churchill Northern Studies Centre, Canadian Museum for Human Rights, Assiniboine Park Conservancy, The Royal Canadian Mint, Clear Lake Country, Lakeview Hotels and Tourisme Riel. Travel Manitoba was a gold-level sponsor of the event and covered registration costs for Manitoba suppliers. Travel Manitoba also met with 155 buyers across 24-hour time zones.

Travel Manitoba re-engaged its GSA contract with DC and Associates in September 2021. Due to COVID-19 and public health restrictions, Travel Manitoba was unable to host any FAMs from Australia. Travel Manitoba collaborated with DC and Associates on new proposals with Adventure World Travel, Entire Travel Group, Helloworld Travel, Australian Geographic and VIA Rail.

UNITED KINGDOM

Travel Manitoba re-engaged Hills Balfour in the United Kingdom in September of 2021. Travel Manitoba subsequently moved the contract from Hills Balfour to Denkzauber as of March 1, 2022 Due to COVID-19, no FAM tours were hosted from the U.K. market in 2021. In terms of trade shows, Travel Manitoba participated with Canada Connect in November 2021, a virtual show for the European markets. The trade team presented to tour operators in English, German and French and then held appointments with tour operators in a virtual B2B format. Co-op marketing campaigns were executed with the following organizations to drive awareness of Manitoba: Trailfinders, Condé Naste, Selling Travel, First Class Holidays, Premier Holidays and Prestige Travel/Holidays. Activities included advertorials, eblasts, contests, social media posts and itinerary promotion

MEETINGS, CONVENTIONS, MAJOR EVENTS AND INCENTIVE TRAVEL

Travel Manitoba participated in Business Events Canada recovery sessions with Tourism Winnipeg and industry partners. The market development team attended two incentive shows in 2021: Incentive Canada (winter edition) was held in Vancouver and Whistler in December 2021. This show featured U.S. and Canadian buyers, and provided the opportunity to meet with 25 different buyers on a one-on-one basis. Travel Manitoba also attended IMEX in Las Vegas from November 9–11, 2021. Part of a larger Destination Canada collaboration, this show was a combination of appointments, walk-up meetings and networking opportunities Paid partnerships with Business Events Canada produced good results, with two articles and blog posts featuring Manitoba and Churchill.

GERMANY

Travel Manitoba re-engaged its GSA contract with Denkzauber in June 2021. Due to COVID-19, no FAM tours were hosted from the German market in 2021. In terms of trade shows, Travel Manitoba participated with Canada Connect in November 2021, a virtual show for the European markets. The trade team presented to tour operators in English, German and French, and then held appointments with tour operators in a virtual B2B format. Marketing initiatives were delivered with CRD Touristik, SK Touristik, FTI and Canusa. An advertorial in 360° Kanada magazine and a quarterly trade newsletter were executed in December 2021 and March 2022, respectively.

Travel Manitoba hosted Allison Frame from Divine Destinations on a FAM tour to Winnipeg and Churchill in August 2021 to further develop incentive itineraries Travel Manitoba hosted Mark Zanetti from Business Events Canada on a FAM tour to Winnipeg and Churchill in October 2021 to showcase incentive opportunities.

LEADING TOURISM RECOVERY

CONTENT MARKETING BLOG: 9 70,660 pageviews 4 :15 min average time on page FACEBOOK: 1 39,650 followers 1 44 million impressions 3 .9 million engagements 1 .4 million link clicks 2 .7 per cent engagement rate INSTAGRAM: 1 57,397 total followers 24.8 million impressions 1 .8 per cent engagement rate 1 .9 million story impressions PINTEREST: 1 .9 million impressions 3 .8 per cent engagement E-NEWSLETTER: Initiatives included a weekly mailer, birthday mailers, welcome mailers and campaign mailers:

6 0,518 subscribers 1 9.38 per cent open rate 4 .34 per cent click through rate 1 0,160 new contacts in this fiscal year TIKTOK: 3 3,000 followers

2021/ 2022 ANNUAL REPOR T

HIGHLIGHTS:

Developed a light-hearted, year-end contest on social media for Manitobans to submit images of their dogs exploring Manitoba in all seasons for a chance to be included in the 2022 Manitoba Adventure Dog Calendar. Created new blog content, including: 10 winter date ideas for romance in Manitoba, 10 Restaurants you need to try this winter in Manitoba, 7 ways to cruise the Nestawaya River Trail, 10 fun things to do in Manitoba this winter that are not in Winnipeg and more. Produced 10 new ‘Destination Spotlight videos’ featured on Travel Manitoba’s YouTube channel, including Royal Canadian Artillery Museum – Shilo, Portage La Prairie: Island on the Prairies, South Beach Casino & Resort: Modern flair & classic vibe, Minnedosa: Valley Life, and more.

Travel Manitoba also engaged seven local content creators in December to promote the Manitoba Brew Pass, encouraging their followers to purchase the pass for a staycation or holiday gift idea.

TRAVEL MEDIA AND INFLUENCER RELATIONS

Travel Manitoba supported 29 pitches from our local Manitoba content creator community to create summer and winter road trips and staycation social media content. Content was created for rural attractions such as Dauphin’s Northgate Trails, a family dinosaur-themed adventure in Morden-Winkler and northern lights at Wekusko Falls.

MEDIA TRIPS

Through the media tour program, Travel Manitoba hosted two group media trips to Churchill (seven media in total), 15 individual media trips and three film crews in 2021/22 including: U.S. journalist Peter Heller visited the Hudson Bay in November 2021 on assignment to craft an eight-page feature about Churchill Wild’s new wildlife experience ‘Cloud Wolves of Kaska Coast’ for Condé Nast Traveller to be published in early 2022. Two crew members from Snowmobiler TV joined Heartland International’s ‘Quest for the Bay’ snowmobile tour from Thompson to Churchill from March 4–12, 2022. Their video segment will be broadcast on their associated channels and hosted on their YouTube channel. Two U.S. and two Canadian journalists joined a Frontiers North Adventures northern lights photography tour from March 6–13, 2022. The trip supported Travel Manitoba’s 2021/22 northern lights campaign.

LEADING TOURISM RECOVERY

↓ Portage La Prairie

↑ Dauphin - Northgate Trail PHOTO: CITY OF DAUPHIN

2021/ 2022 ANNUAL REPOR T

EARNED MEDIA VALUE – 2021 SUMMARY

3 ,859 total mentions 5 .3 billion audience reach $ 136 million ad value equivalent (AVE) Earned media highlights include: World’s Greatest Places 2022, Winnipeg, Manitoba: Revelling in Art

From polar bears in the north to grizzlies in B.C., now’s a prime time for wildlife watching across Canada “The rugged north feels like so much a part of our national identity that the first time I caught sight of the Arctic tundra, it almost felt familiar. Squinting out of an airplane window, I’d fully expected to see a polar bear. But now, as we plied the waters along Hudson Bay’s multi-hued coastline, I learned that during summer and fall, the sea’s edge is where I’d most likely see a bear.”— Diane Selkirk, Toronto Star

Ride, eat, repeat: Biking to the Viking (statue) a great way to “The opening of Qaumajuq highlights the creative side of Winnipeg, a prairie city that is also home to the acclaimed Royal Winnipeg Ballet. burn off tasty local treats Other cultural offerings include the annual Warming Huts contest— “Nowadays, tourists search out activities like food tours, cooking in which competitors design and build small, hutlike shelters or classes, wine tasting and brewery tours. They feel that local food installations along the frozen river—and winter’s acclaimed New helps them understand the local culture. Personally, I never miss the Music Festival, where subzero outdoor concerts are played on opportunity to visit a grocery store when travelling, checking out instruments made of ice.” — Karen Burshtein, TIME what I’d be able to shop for if I lived in a place I’m visiting. Bringing local food or beverages back home as a souvenir/gift is one of my Canada’s Creative Heart favourite things to do.” — Steve Lyons, Winnipeg Free Press “When we think about the Prairie provinces, ice-hardened winters, In Search of Hudson Bay’s White Whales yawning wheat fields and vaulted blue skies come to mind, but Winnipeg is striving to change that perception by boosting its “As I paddle across the placid Churchill River on a crisp summer cultural cachet. Already home to institutions like the Royal morning, a ghostly white shape passes beneath my kayak. I swing Winnipeg Ballet and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, the round to see a beluga whale break the surface beside me, arching city has now added Qaumajuq, the world’s first centre dedicated its torso like a dolphin before expelling a cloud of spray from its to Inuit art, to its culture scene.”— Chloe Berge, ELLE Canada blowhole directly into my face. To peals of laughter from a fellow kayaker, I wipe myself dry, consoling myself with the fact that I can tick off being “sneezed” on by a cetacean from my bucket list.” — Shafik Meghji, Dreamscapes

LEADING TOURISM RECOVERY

Hidden Canada: Waterfall Alley, Manitoba “Manitoba’s Waterfall Alley comprises thundering cataracts and rapids twisting through narrow canyons, all explorable along forest hikes. The Alley unofficially stretches for several hundred kilometres, along the route from Flin Flon to Thompson, the falls hidden in several provincial parks through which the mighty Grass River winds.”— Karen Burshtein, The Globe and Mail Explore the six “Eventually, the remarkable roadway meanders through the Interlake, where towering spruce and stony outcroppings dot the pastures of cattle country, before it terminates in the northern hub city of Thompson. Surrounded by Canada’s lush boreal forest with hidden waterfalls and watchful wildlife, it’s an ideal end point for one of the province’s great drives.”— Shel Zolkewich, CAA Manitoba Magazine

MEDIA MARKETPLACE AND OUTREACH

In June 2021, Travel Manitoba’s media relations team attended a virtual Travel Media Association of Canada (TMAC) conference and media marketplace and held meetings with 24 travel journalists and content creators from across Canada. In January 2022, Travel Manitoba’s media team attended a virtual International Media Marketplace (IMM) in New York City and held meetings with 19 travel journalists and content creators from across the USA. In March 2022, Travel Manitoba’s international media representative in Germany and the U.K. attended Destination Canada’s inaugural virtual CanadaConnect Media event to deliver a presentation about Manitoba and hold meetings with over 20 travel journalists and content creators from Germany and the U.K.

The story behind a Manitoba park’s iconic log and stone gateway “Straddling the highway at the eastern entrance to Riding Mountain National Park, a truss bridge made of hand-hewn logs and local stones featuring turret-like cupolas set on twin kiosks transports you to the 1930s and the early days of Canada’s national parks system. The gateway makes some people feel like they’re living the scene from Jurassic Park when the awestruck main characters first pass through a massive gate to an island theme park.” — Jennifer Bain, National Parks Traveler

↑ —

2021/ 2022 ANNUAL REPOR T

DIGITAL MARKETING The digital marketing team continued to optimize the new TravelManitoba.com and its microsites. Improvements included: A site-wide summer refresh for homepage and sub-page images and content A replacement of all winter-focused itineraries with summerfocused itineraries A site-wide review and alignment of all metatitles and metadata A site-wide accessibility audit from Accessibility Services Canada (recommendations will be implemented over the next few months) A partnership with OneTrust to centralize management and privacy of digital user data (the first step in the development of a future-facing privacy policy overhaul) DIGITAL MARKETING YEAR OVER YEAR HIGHLIGHTS

The digital team ran campaigns involving our industry partners, such as: Spring and summer display retargeting: • Summer: 20,200,312 impressions and 66,782 clicks on Google • Spring: 19,044,593 impressions and 72,037 clicks on Google • Winter: 24,809,750 impressions and 83,168 clicks on Google Featured Things to Do campaigns (search and social) highlighting:

• Beluga whales – 30,344 impressions and 2,700 clicks on Google – 758,328 impressions and 13,183 clicks on Facebook • Museums – 688,342 impressions and 4,334 clicks on Google – 843,503 impressions and 5,329 clicks on Facebook • Camping – 374,605 impressions and 5,291 clicks on Google – 556,805 impressions and 8,766 clicks on Facebook • Outdoors – 706,827 impressions and 5,330 clicks on Google – 924,208 impressions and 8,521 clicks on Facebook Travel Manitoba campaigns included: • General search ads (Manitoba-focused) – 477,521 impressions and 18,767 clicks on Google • General search ads (Canada-focused) – 1,135,460 impressions and 24,070 clicks on Google • Beluga whales packages – 33,882 impressions and 1,632 clicks on Google – 758,328 impressions and 13,183 clicks on Facebook • Polar bear packages – 2,621,637 impressions and 6,929 clicks on Google – 7,795,505 impressions and 51,179 clicks on Facebook

LEADING TOURISM RECOVERY

FISHING AND HUNTING Manitoba’s fishing and hunting industry was one of the hardest hit during the pandemic, largely due to the impact of the U.S. border closure, which closed off access to its largest and most loyal market. In addition, the pandemic exacerbated a lack of direct flights from the U.S. Travel Manitoba is working with its partners to advocate for the re-establishment of air routes from the U.S. and Canada. Throughout the pandemic, Travel Manitoba continued to promote the fishing and hunting sector where and when possible, and to create content for future use. NATIONAL ANGLING PROGRAM

Travel Manitoba partnered with Tourism Saskatchewan to implement the National Angling program, partially funded by Destination Canada. The campaign focused on marketing ice fishing and fly-in lodges and was completed at the end of December. HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

A multi-channel display, social and video approach targeted angling sites, angling enthusiasts and target audiences identified by Prizm research segments. A series of sponsored content opportunities were featured in key outlets: Outdoor Sportsman Group, Jason Mitchell Outdoors, Lindner: AnglingBuzz, Fishing the Wild West, Wide Open Spaces and Wild TV. Overall, the top markets for engagement were Illinois and Ontario, with the audience indexing toward male, 55+. Video delivered 58 per cent more impressions than estimated and surpassed the cost-per-view goal by 100 per cent. Social impressions were 58 per cent above estimates, as well as a 284 per cent outperformance of the cost-per-click. The credibility of each publisher within this vertical market allowed for the most passionate anglers to be reached through niche-specific platforms such as podcasts and Facebook pages. Publisher-designed content served to build brand awareness through authentic experiences and united messaging.

2022 DIGITAL CAMPAIGNS

Campaign included high-impact display and video, and social and search ads. Duration January 1–March 31, 2022 Target audience Open water fishing enthusiasts Geo targets Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Minnesota, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Kansas, Iowa, Mississippi Objectives Website clicks, engagement, video views Digital goals Brand awareness, site traffic, engagements Results 6.314 million impressions 21.7 clicks 503,000 engagements 420,000 completed views

2021/ 2022 ANNUAL REPOR T

↑ Hecla Provincial Park PHOTO: JOSH MCFADDIN

LEADING TOURISM RECOVERY

CONTENT CREATION

While public health restrictions often limited content creation, Travel Manitoba’s Hunt Fish team created both generic content as well as videos for industry partners, including Whiteshell Outfitters. Media providers Canada in the Rough filmed a waterfowl hunting episode at Agassiz Outfitters and a whitetail hunting episode at Sandy River Outfitters. Jason Mitchell filmed a hunting episode at Harvest Lodge in Waterhen. Hunt Fish MB recipe videos were produced with Josh McFadden, both for the promotion of wild game and fish consumption as well as to inspire the audience to partake in these hunting and fishing activities across the province. Fishing content was developed for industry partners including Aikens Lake Wilderness Lodge, Trail End Camp and Outfitters, and Q Lake Lodge. With an increased interest in ice fishing, extra emphasis was placed on capturing ice fishing content, including: Clayton Schick Outdoors created 10 Hunt Fish MB-branded YouTube videos at various lodges/outfitters, lakes and regions for promotional purposes. Jay Siemens created 10 Hunt Fish MB-branded YouTube videos at various lodges/outfitters, lakes and regions for promotional purposes. Jason Mitchell Outdoors created two ice fishing episodes: one at Bakers Narrows Lodge and one on Lake Winnipeg with Bruin Outfitting and Guide Service. AnglingBuzz created two Manitoba feature videos, one promoting Lake Manitoba and the MTT accommodations at St. Laurent and the other promoting Lake Winnipeg with Blackwater Cats Outfitter. The Hunt Fish MB team partnered with Wekusko Falls Lodge, Viking Lodge, Bakers Narrows Lodge, Icebound Excursions, Blackwater Cats Outfitter, Prairie Gal Fishing and Bruin Outfitting and Guide Service in the creation of a new ice fishing commercial. Video and editorial content was created to assist ice fishing operators in their seasonal promotion and increase stock content for future promotion. The ice fishing commercial was featured in an ice fishing campaign.

PARTNERSHIPS WITH MANITOBA AGRICULTURE AND RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

Travel Manitoba participated in the monitoring of Manitoba’s Agriculture and Resource Development’s current chronic wasting disease findings in southwest Manitoba. Travel Manitoba participated in consultations for the proposed Manitoba Recreational Angling Strategy regulation changes, promotion of “fish first” fish-handling practices, and the promotion of Aquatic Invasive Species prevention strategies. In conjunction with Manitoba Fisheries, the HuntFishMB team helped educate anglers on a variety of fisheries-related topics through the creation of videos produced both in-house and through third party influencers. Social media posts educated the audience on proper fish handling, barotrauma, invasive species, fish hatcheries, the new provincial angling strategy, proposed regulation changes, and a variety of other science-based fish facts. EVALUATING THE INTEREST OF MANITOBANS IN HUNTING AND FLY-IN FISHING LODGES

In partnership with Probe Research, Travel Manitoba surveyed hunters and anglers in Manitoba between February 19 and March 2 to understand the local tourism potential for hunting outfitters and fly-in fishing lodges. Key results include: One-half of the anglers surveyed have never been to a fishing lodge but would like to, and 40 per cent of hunters were very interested in their first trip to a lodge. For those who have visited a lodge or worked with an outfitter in the past, the experience is overwhelmingly positive. Nearly eight in 10 fishing lodge visitors were very satisfied with their last trip. Among hunters, 63 per cent were very satisfied. Key barriers to visiting a lodge or hiring an outfitter revolved around cost and a sense the fishing and hunting is just fine closer to home or on their own.

Based on the results of a focus group with ice fishing industry stakeholders, Travel Manitoba developed an ice fishing action plan. The plan focuses on strategic initiatives in the areas of marketing, experience development and collaboration. Travel Manitoba also supported the Interlake Tourism Association online ice fishing tournament.

2021/ 2022 ANNUAL REPOR T

Advance Destination Management TOURISM INNOVATION AND RECOVERY FUND (TIRF) Recognizing the post-pandemic tourism industry will bring greater competition and higher consumer expectations, Travel Manitoba prioritized the creation of a stronger industry through increased market-readiness of existing experiences, and the creation of new, innovative experiences. On November 9, 2021, Travel Manitoba launched the Tourism Innovation and Recovery Fund. The program supports Travel Manitoba’s goal to increase the number of market- and exportready tourism businesses throughout the province, as outlined in the Manitoba Tourism Strategy. The funding program was open to tourism operators, non-profit organizations, businesses and entrepreneurs who have the capacity to develop or enhance tourism products and services.

↑ Oak Hammock Marsh

DESTINATION MANAGEMENT ASSESSMENT FOR MANITOBA With funding from PrairiesCan, Travel Manitoba engaged Probe Research, Twenty31 and Sinclair Barnes to complete a Destination Management Assessment for Manitoba. The project consists of two phases: PHASE 1: DESTINATION MANAGEMENT ASSESSMENT

Identify experience development opportunities that would have a significant and transformational impact on visitor spending in Manitoba through a destination development gap analysis. Complete Destination Area Assessments for key Manitoba destinations in southern Manitoba, including: Winnipeg, St. Boniface, Brandon, Portage la Prairie, Clear Lake, Dauphin, Whiteshell Provincial Park, Gimli, Morden/Winkler, Steinbach, Asessippi and Swan River. Destination Area Assessments for Manitoba’s North have already been completed.

Funding was available through two streams: New Experience Development Stream – maximum $25,000 for up to 85 per cent of eligible project costs Experience Enhancement Stream – maximum $15,000 for up to 85 per cent of eligible project costs A total of 120 applications were received, with 50 projects ultimately funded. Travel Manitoba originally committed $500,000 to the program, but given the tremendous interest and high quality of applications, over $1 million in funding was approved. TOURISM INNOVATION AND RECOVERY FUND LOCATION AND SECTOR

REGION

FUNDED PROJECTS

Westman

12%

Eastern

SECTOR

FUNDED PROJECTS

Accommodation

22%

28%

Attraction

34%

10%

Food & Beverage Services

10%

Recreation & Adventure

38%

Northern

26%

Events

Winnipeg Metro

14%

Transportation

Interlake Southern

The project is expected to be completed by the end of May 2022. The results of the project will be used to develop a Destination Management Strategy for Manitoba.

LEADING TOURISM RECOVERY

INDIGENOUS TOURISM

In 2021, Travel Manitoba signed a second Memorandum of Understanding with the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC) and the Indigenous Tourism Association of Manitoba (ITM). Travel Manitoba has committed to investing in experience development for Indigenous communities. Travel Manitoba recognizes that tourism can play an important role in reconciliation. Indigenous tourism can help revitalize cultures and languages, providing a platform to tell stories about Indigenous history, culture and perspectives. In coordination with ITM and ITAC, the Manitoba Indigenous Tourism Strategy was updated to reflect progress made since the original strategy was launched in 2019, as well as the evolving role of ITM and the need for continued recovery efforts from the COVID-19 pandemic. In partnership with ITAC, a consultant was hired to develop a business plan and governance documents for ITM. Travel Manitoba worked jointly with ITAC and ITM to coordinate a Virtual Indigenous Summit on September 23 and 24. The summit was well attended with 172 registrants. At the event, the Manitoba Indigenous Tourism Strategy was launched and ITM was officially announced. Significant support was received from industry stakeholders on the formation of the association. Travel Manitoba conducted two surveys to measure the potential for development of authentic Indigenous tourism experiences in the province. The first surveyed 800 Manitoba residents and questioned their perceptions of and interest in Indigenous tourism. Highlights from the research include: • Only one-third of Manitobans say they are familiar with authentic Indigenous experiences. However, 52 per cent have had these types of experiences already, including learning about culture and history from Indigenous Elders or guides. • Fifty per cent of Manitobans are likely to seek out Indigenous tourism experiences; however, only nine per cent are very likely. • Key opportunity groups include women, parents and younger adults. Outdoor adventure and nature experiences, as well as the chance to stay in an Indigenous accommodation such as a teepee, are particularly appealing to these groups. • The key drivers of interest in an authentic tourism experience are a willingness to support Indigenous-owned businesses and a genuine desire to learn from an Elder. Seventy-eight per cent are keen to learn about Indigenous culture if it is led by an Indigenous person, and 72 per cent want to know their tourist dollars will directly benefit Indigenous communities.

2021/ 2022 ANNUAL REPOR T

• Key barriers to Indigenous tourism are: – knowledge – 63 per cent don’t know where to find information about experiences – anxiety – 50 per cent are worried they might say or do the wrong thing Appeal of Authentic Indigenous Tourism Experiences to Manitobans Wildlife and nature experiences (viewing, plant medicine, etc.)

61%

20%

19%

Eating Indigenous food

60%

18%

22%

Cultural experiences (storytelling, tours, etc.)

55%

21%

25%

Learning about residential schools, treaties, etc. from an Elder

53%

20%

27%

Attending events and festivals (powwows, etc.)

50%

21%

29%

Learning about Indigenous arts & crafts

47%

22%

31%

Outdoor adventures led by Indigenous guides

47%

23%

30%

Staying at an Indigenous-owned wilderness lodge, yurt or teepee

44%

23%

33%

Spiritual experiences (sweat lodge, ceremonies, etc.)

36%

Hunting or fishing led by an Indigenous guide

31%

APPEALING

NEUTRAL

22% 18%

42% 51%

UNAPPEALING

SOURCE: PROBE RESEARCH

The second study surveyed 500 First Nations, Inuit and Métis people in Manitoba. 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 toward reconciliation. Key results include: Three in five Indigenous respondents strongly agree that tourists would be welcome in their community. This sentiment was echoed on- and off-reserve and 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. However, there are some limits to this willingness to open up Indigenous culture to visitors. Allowing tourists to experience spiritual or medicinal cultural practices, such as sweat lodges or medicine picking, was viewed as somewhat less acceptable. That is not to say that Indigenous people are unwilling to share these spiritual practices with visitors; in fact, around one in four say sharing these activities with tourists is very acceptable. However, Indigenous respondents were more likely to be comfortable inviting tourists to hear stories told by Elders, attend powwows or craft workshops, and 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. For example, 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.

↓ Rat River Métis Tour

LEADING TOURISM RECOVERY

NORTHERN TOURISM STRATEGY

Appeal of Indigenous Cultural Offerings to Tourists Learning stories and teachings from an Elder

80%

97%

17%

Attending a powwow

70%

25%

95%

Learning Indigenous arts and crafts such as beading or sewing

71%

23%

94%

Hunting or fishing with an Indigenous guide

62%

92%

30%

Staying overnight in a teepee or other traditional accommodation

46%

37%

83%

Participating in a sweat lodge

45%

36%

81%

Taking a tour of a sacred Indigenous site

35%

41%

76%

Picking medicinal plants

40%

34%

74%

VERY ACCEPTABLE

SOMEWHAT ACCEPTABLE

SOURCE: PROBE RESEARCH

Travel Manitoba continues to partner with the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada in planning the International Indigenous Tourism Conference in Winnipeg, to be held March 8-10, 2023. FRANCOPHONE TOURISM

Research has shown tourists are looking for authentic Francophone cultural and historical experiences, but there has been a need to establish an accurate benchmark for Francophone tourism development in the province, identify barriers to growth and determine future product development opportunities. First initiated in 2020/21, Travel Manitoba worked with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to conduct an economic impact study of Francophone tourism in Manitoba. The study estimates that tourists spend between $4.6 million and $13.6 million per year on Francophone-inspired tourism. Throughout the supply chain, these expenditures are estimated to contribute between $4.8 million and $12 million (direct, indirect and induced) to the provincial GDP and to support between 91 and 214 full-time equivalent employees. The sector’s contribution to total government revenue (federal and provincial) is between $2.3 million and $5.7 million. This study will be used to develop a business case to support increased support for the industry. Travel Manitoba updated the Francophone Tourism Strategy to reflect the need for COVID-19 recovery and the progress made to date. The expected public release is April 2022, after which the Francophone Tourism Advisory Committee will work to implement the strategy in partnership with Travel Manitoba. FRENCH LANGUAGE SERVICES

Travel Manitoba developed a new three-year French Language Services Strategy in coordination with the Francophone Affairs Secretariat. The strategy outlines planned Travel Manitoba Francophone initiatives, including the provision of Francophone services to the general public, marketing initiatives aimed at Francophone tourists and the promotion of Francophone tourism experiences. 2021/ 2022 ANNUAL REPOR T

In May 2021, Travel Manitoba held a strategic planning session with the Northern Tourism Advisory Committee to update the Northern Tourism Strategy and reflect its progress since it originally launched, as well as the need for COVID-19 recovery. The updated strategy will be released in 2022/23. Travel Manitoba hired a new northern tourism consultant in November 2021. This role supports the implementation of the Northern Tourism Strategy, works to develop and enhance tourism experiences in the North, and builds relationships with operators, communities and government. As part of the Tourism Innovation and Recovery Fund, Travel Manitoba awarded funding to 13 projects based in the North, which represented 26 per cent of the overall program funding. Travel Manitoba completed a competitive assessment of northern lights. This included a comparison of Churchill to other northern lights destinations including packages offers, significant advantages and disadvantages, and an assessment of average observable aurora nights. Travel Manitoba surveyed northern Manitobans on their support for and perceptions of tourism. Overall, 62 per cent of respondents indicated that tourism in Manitoba’s North is very important to the economic well-being of northern Manitoba. Tourism’s Impact on the Economy Tourism in the province’s North is seen to be very important to nearly two- thirds of respondents

Manitoba

50%

Northern Manitoba

62%

My community

56%

VERY IMPORTANT

40%

27%

32%

90%

89%

88%

SOMEWHAT IMPORTANT

Survey Question: In your opinion, how important if at all, is the tourism industry to the economic well- being of...

Those most likely to feeltourism is very important to Northern Manitoba include:

Base: All Northern Manitoba respondents (N=400)

• Post- Secondary graduates (73 per cent)

SOURCE: PROBE RESEARCH

(72 per cent)

• Those with young children at home

SNOWMOBILING

In September, an innovation café on snowmobiling tourism was held. Based on the outcomes of this event, an action plan was developed. In 2022/23, the focus will be on conducting research to determine the market potential for snowmobiling tourism. 33

Foster Collaboration and Build Support for Tourism PARTNERSHIP AND INDUSTRY RELATIONS

Thank you to all partners for your participation this year! The Partnership team launched Travel Manitoba’s 2022 partnership plan in November 2021. Although there was significant interest in the program, capacity to generate revenue was reduced significantly due to the impact of the pandemic. Over $600,000 in partnership revenue was generated from agreements with 148 partners, including custom partnerships with Cabela’s, Calm Air and Parks Canada. Sponsorship agreements were signed with the Winnipeg and Manitoba Chambers of Commerce, and event sponsorships included the Manitoba Outdoor Show (March 11-13), and the Canadian Power Toboggan Championships (March 5-6). ALT Hotel Winnipeg Arrowhead RV Park Assiniboia Downs Assiniboine Park Conservancy Authentic Iron Barrier Bay Resort Bass Pro Shops & Cabela’s Canada Bed and Breakfast Association of Manitoba Bee2gether Bikes Bell Aura B&B and Bistro Bella’s Castle Bed and Breakfast Blue Crescent Hotel Bowerbird Stays Brandon Tourism and Brandon Riverbank Burntwood Lake Lodge Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre Canadian Museum for Human Rights Economic Development Council for Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities (CDEM) Celebrations Dinner Theatre Central Manitoba Tourism Association Centre culturel franco manitobain Charley B’s Classic Grill and Ice Cream Churchill Northern Studies Centre Churchill Wild City of Dauphin - Tourism Dauphin City of Flin Flon City of Morden City of Selkirk City of Steinbach Clear Lake Country Communications and Engagement, Government of Manitoba Cranberry Portage Heritage Museum

Cripple Creek Campground Days Inn Steinbach Dead Horse Cider Delta Winnipeg Eastman Tourism Elkhorn Resort Spa and Conference Centre Enigma Escapes Explore Morden Winkler Exchange District BIZ Explore St. Malo Falcon Beach Ranch Farmery Estate Brewery Festival du Voyageur Fire and Water Music Festival Folklorama Fort la Reine Museum FortWhyte Alive Four Points by Sheraton Winnipeg South Frontiers North Adventures Gangler’s North Seal Wilderness Sub-Arctic Adventures Gimli Glider Museum Gimli International Film Festival Gimli Tourism Glamping InStead Great White Bear Tours Harte Trail Studio Tour Hilton Winnipeg Airport Suites Holiday Inn Winnipeg Airport West Holiday Inn Winnipeg South Hudson Bay Helicopters Icelandic Festival of Manitoba Inn at The Forks Inn Keepers

LEADING TOURISM RECOVERY

Interlake Tourism Association International Peace Garden Kendrick’s Outdoor Adventures Kikiwak Inn Lady of the Lake Lakeview Hotels and Resorts LaserTopia Lazy Bear Expeditions Lazy Days Lodge Lilac Resort RV Lodging and Water Park Manitoba Association of Campgrounds and Parks Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum Manitoba Electrical Museum and Education Centre Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum Manitoba Stampede & Exhibition Manitoba Threshermens Reunion and Stampede Mennonite Heritage Village Mere Hotel Minnedosa Tourism Moon Gate Guest House Moonlit Canopy Morden Corn & Apple Festival Motel 6 Headingley Musee de Saint Boniface Museum Musee St Joseph Museum Nanuk Operations Nellies Homes Nellie McClung Heritage Site Netley Creek Golf Course and RV Park New Iceland Heritage Museum Norwood Hotel Parks Canada Pinawa Community Development Corporation Pinawa Golf and Country Club Pineridge Hollow Portage Regional Economic Development Potato Festival Prairie Gateway Tourism Prairie View Municipality Prairies Gateway Tourism Pride Winnipeg Festival Quality Inn and Suites Winkler Rainbow Stage Red River Exhibition Red River North Tourism Riding Mountain House RM of Pipestone

2021/ 2022 ANNUAL REPOR T

RM of St Clements RM of Yellowhead Rocky Lake Birchworks Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada Royal Canadian Mint Rubber Ducky Resort and Campground RM of Lakeshore Sam Waller Museum Signature Museums South Beach Casino and Resort Southport Aerospace Centre St Andrews Heritage Centre St-Pierre-Jolys Sunrise Corner Super 8 by Wyndham Winnipeg East Super 8 Winnipeg West Tallpine Lodges The Fairmont Winnipeg The Fort Garry - Hotel Spa & Conference Centre The Great Outdoors Expo The Herdsman House The Hook & Tassel The House that Love Built Bed and Breakfast The Lake House The Manitoba Museum The Pas / Opaskwayak Cree Nation The RCA Museum The Tundra Inn The Whiteshell Tourisme Riel Tourism Westman Town of Carman Town of Neepawa Town of Souris CDC Souris Glenwood Trail End Camp and Outfitters True North Sports & Entertainment Turtle Mountain Resort Type Eh Bikes University of Manitoba Victoria Inn Hotel and Convention Centre Voyageur Houseboats West End BIZ Winkler Harvest Festival Winnipeg Art Gallery Winnipeg Beach Art and Culture Co-op - Wave Artist Tour Winnipeg Folk Festival

↑ Canadian Museum for Human Rights PHOTO: JP MEDIA WORKS

DIVERSITY, INCLUSION AND ANTI-RACISM

TOURISM INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION OF CANADA

INITIATIVE

(TIAC) TOWN HALL

Over 200 industry participants attended Travel Manitoba’s April 6-8 conference, “Diversity and Inclusion Matters: Fostering Understanding in Manitoba’s Tourism Industry”. Over three mornings, participants learned, from a range of speakers, about diversity, equity and inclusion, and why it matters to the tourism industry. Travel Manitoba undertook an extensive asset development project—both video and photography—that engaged BIPOCowned and/or operated companies to collect new marketing assets that reflect the diversity of our communities in future marketing campaigns

On May 4, Travel Manitoba organized and participated in TIAC’s Manitoba stop on its cross-country town hall tour. The town halls are designed to provide in-market exposure for TIAC, Destination Canada, the Government of Canada, local partners and sponsors; facilitate media coverage for all partners; and generate social media engagement. Approximately 120 industry members attended the session.

TOURISM EASTMAN AND WESTMAN STRATEGIC PLANNING

Travel Manitoba participated in a strategic planning session with the Westman Tourism Association and Eastman Tourism Association.

LEADING TOURISM RECOVERY

TRAINING AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT Travel Manitoba completed a jurisdictional scan of tourism training and workforce development programs in western Canada to identify opportunities for enhancement of Manitoba programs. The analysis identified several training gaps as well as opportunities to improve delivery and performance measurement of existing training programs. The current labour shortage, as well as recognition that tourism is currently not seen as a career of choice, were identified as the most significant challenges. In partnership with Tourism HR Canada, Red River Polytechnic, the Manitoba Hotel Association, the Manitoba Restaurant and Foodservices Association and the Manitoba Tourism Education Council, Travel Manitoba initiated the development of a campaign to address the labour force shortage in the industry. The first phase of the campaign will focus on the urgent need to encourage former workers to return to the industry. A second phase will aim to convince new employees that tourism offers a career with growth potential, and encourage the pursuit of an education in the tourism and hospitality sector.

VISITOR SERVICES

TOURISM INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION OF MANITOBA WORKING GROUP Travel Manitoba worked with the Tourism Industry Association of Manitoba Working Group to promote a survey to assess the potential for a new industry association, to identify training topics and speakers, and promote their training sessions. Travel Manitoba also presented at an industry webinar organized by the working group to support enhanced understanding of data and analytics in business decision-making.

Travel Manitoba’s visitor centres remained closed to the public for much of the 2021/22 year due to pandemic restrictions, although the Visitor Information Centre was still used to promote industry partners by theming its displays around industry events, such as the dinosaur exhibit at the Assiniboine Park Zoo. As a result of closures, walk-in traffic at the Visitor Information Centre located at the Forks was significantly lower in 2021 than 2019, but higher than 2020. WALK-IN TRAFFIC AT THE FORKS VISITOR INFORMATION CENTRE 12K 10K 8K

MANITOBA HOTEL ASSOCIATION Travel Manitoba collaborated with the Manitoba Hotel Association (MHA) and STR to host a webinar on the impact of COVID-19 on Manitoba’s hotel sector in April 2021. The webinar had 117 registrants and 66 live participants. In October 2021, Travel Manitoba partnered once again with STR to provide an updated forecast of the Winnipeg hotel sector at the MHA’s annual general meeting. Travel Manitoba also spoke at the event.

2021/ 2022 ANNUAL REPOR T

6K 4K 2k 0

APR

MAY

JUN

2019-20

JUL

AUG

SEP

OC T

2020-21

NOV

DEC

JAN

FEB

MAR

2021-22

↑ Birds Hill Provincial Park PHOTO: MAY CONTAIN STUDIO

↑ The Leaf - Canada’s Diversity Gardens

LEADING TOURISM RECOVERY

AWARD WINS IN 2021/22 ADRIAN AWARDS

Bronze | Public Relations, Special Event: Qaumajuq Virtual Media Event

Bronze | Digital Marketing, Website: TravelManitoba.com TOURISM INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION OF CANADA AWARDS

Finalist | Indigenous Tourism Awards: Feast Café Bistro

MARCOM AWARDS

Platinum | Media Relations Event: Qaumajuq Virtual Media Event Gold | Strategic Communications, Integrated Marketing Campaigns: Summer Road Trips Platinum | Website Redesign: TravelManitoba.com Platinum | Website Interactivity: Trip Planner on TravelManitoba.com Gold | Digital Communications, Email: The Beat E-newsletter Gold | Web Content: #ExploreMB Blog

NYX AWARDS

Gold | Website Category for Tourism: TravelManitoba.com Gold | Marketing Category for Tourism: Feast Café Bistro video Gold | Marketing Category for Tourism: Beluga Whales with Lazy Bear Lodge video Gold | Branded Content for Tourism: Adventure to Understanding video TRAVEL WEEKLY MAGELLAN AWARDS

Silver | Destinations Website: TravelManitoba.com

HERMES CREATIVE AWARDS

Platinum | TV ad: Home Is Where the Heart Is (winter) Gold | Social video: Manitoba Through Your Lens DOT COMM AWARDS

Gold | Website: TravelManitoba.com ECONOMIC DEVELOPERS ASSOCIATION OF CANADA

Finalist | Recovery Plan: Manitoba Tourism Strategy Finalist | Advertising: Summer Road Trips Finalist | Website: TravelManitoba.com

↑ Ominnik Marsh Trail

2021/ 2022 ANNUAL REPOR T

Board of Directors

Stuart Murray (Chair) President & CEO The City of Human Rights Education

Tara Stefansson (Vice Chair) VP of Business Development Calm Air International LP

Karen Chrest Manitoba 150 Board of Directors

Sky Bridges Chief Executive Officer The Winnipeg Foundation

Maureen Hrechkosy Owner and Operator Trail End Camp and Outfitters

Ginette Lavack Directrice générale Centre culturel franco-manitobain

Simon Resch General Manager Emerson Duty Free Shop

Sara Stasiuk President & CEO The Forks North Portage Partnership

Drew Fisher President & CEO, RBC Convention Centre

Obby Khan President/Owner, Goodlocal.ca/ Shawarma Khan Inc./ Green Carrot Juice

Our People

PHOTO: THOMAS FRICKE

LEADING TOURISM RECOVERY

↓ Beluga whales, Churchill PHOTO: MARTIN GREGUS

Financial Statements For the year ended March 31, 2022

43 Management’s Responsibility for Financial Reporting

2021/ 2022 ANNUAL REPOR T

Independent Auditor’s Report

Financial Statements

Statement of Financial Position

Statement of Operations and Accumulated Surplus

Statement of Change in Net Financial Assets

Statement of Remeasurement Gains

Statement of Cash Flows

Notes to Financial Statements

↑ Journey to Churchill, Assiniboine Park Zoo PHOTO: JP MEDIA WORKS

LEADING TOURISM RECOVERY

Management’s Responsibility for Financial Reporting

The accompanying financial statements are the responsibility of the management of Travel Manitoba and have been prepared in accordance with Canadian public sector accounting standards. In management’s opinion, the financial statements have been properly prepared within reasonable limits of materiality, incorporating management’s best judgment regarding all necessary estimates and all other data available to the audit report date. Management maintains internal controls to properly safeguard the assets and to provide reasonable assurance that the books and records from which the financial statements are derived accurately reflect all transactions and that established policies and procedures are followed. The responsibility of the external audit is to express an independent opinion on whether the financial statements of Travel Manitoba are fairly represented in accordance with Canadian public sector accounting standards. The Independent Auditor’s Report outlines the scope of the audit examination and provides the audit opinion.

On behalf of Management:

Director, Corporate Services

President and CEO

June 22, 2022 Date

2021/ 2022 ANNUAL REPOR T

Tel: 204 956 7200 Fax: 204 926 7201 Toll-Free: 800 268 3337 www.bdo.ca

BDO Canada LLP 700 - 200 Graham Avenue Winnipeg MB R3C 4L5 Canada

Independent Auditor’s Report To the Members of TRAVEL MANITOBA Opinion We have audited the financial statements of Travel Manitoba (the “Organization”), which comprise the statement of financial position as at March 31, 2022, and the statements of operations and accumulated surplus, change in net financial assets, remeasurement gains and cash flows for the year then ended, and notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies. In our opinion, the accompanying financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Organization as at March 31, 2022, and its results of operations, change in net financial assets, and its cash flows for the year then ended in accordance with Canadian public sector accounting standards. Basis for Opinion We conducted our audit in accordance with Canadian generally accepted auditing standards. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s Responsibilities for the Audit of the Financial Statements section of our report. We are independent of the Organization in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in Canada, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion. Responsibilities of Management and Those Charged with Governance for the Financial Statements Management is responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of the financial statements in accordance with Canadian public sector accounting standards, and for such internal control as management determines is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error. In preparing the financial statements, management is responsible for assessing the Organization’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless management either intends to liquidate the Organization or to cease operations, or has no realistic alternative but to do so. Those charged with governance are responsible for overseeing the Organization’s financial reporting process.

As part of an audit in accordance with Canadian generally accepted auditing standards, we exercise professional judgment and maintain professional skepticism throughout the audit. We also: • Identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or error, design and perform audit procedures responsive to those risks, and obtain audit evidence that is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion. The risk of not detecting a material misstatement resulting from fraud is higher than for one resulting from error, as fraud may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal control. • Obtain an understanding of internal control relevant to the audit in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Organization’s internal control. • Evaluate the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates and related disclosures made by management. • Conclude on the appropriateness of management’s use of the going concern basis of accounting and, based on the audit evidence obtained, whether a material uncertainty exists related to events or conditions that may cast significant doubt on the Organization’s ability to continue as a going concern. If we conclude that a material uncertainty exists, we are required to draw attention in our auditor’s report to the related disclosures in the financial statements or, if such disclosures are inadequate, to modify our opinion. Our conclusions are based on the audit evidence obtained up to the date of our auditor’s report. However, future events or conditions may cause the Organization to cease to continue as a going concern. • Evaluate the overall presentation, structure and content of the financial statements, including the disclosures, and whether the financial statements represent the underlying transactions and events in a manner that achieves fair presentation. We communicate with those charged with governance regarding, among other matters, the planned scope and timing of the audit and significant audit findings, including any significant deficiencies in internal control that we identify during our audit.

Auditor’s Responsibilities for the Audit of the Financial Statements Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with Canadian generally accepted auditing standards will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

Chartered Professional Accountants Winnipeg, Manitoba June 22, 2022

BDO Canada LLP, a Canadian limited liability partnership, is a member of BDO International Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, and forms part of the international BDO network of independent member firms.

LEADING TOURISM RECOVERY

TRAVEL MANITOBA

Statement of Financial Position

As at March 31 Financial Assets Cash and cash equivalents (Note 3) $ Trade accounts receivable Due from the Province of Manitoba (Note 4)

2022

2021

2,701,865 $ 2,647,579 140,521 39,287 16,901 16,901 2,859,287 2,703,767

Liabilities Accounts payable and accrued liabilities Employee future benefits (Note 6) Deferred revenue (Note 7)

1,116,624 1,538,775 698,025 607,586 380,611 2,195,260 2,146,361

Net Financial Assets

664,027 557,406

Non Financial Assets Prepaid expenses Tangible capital assets (Note 5)

139,631 130,247 167,705 102,881

307,336 233,128

Contingencies and commitments (Note 9) Accumulated Surplus

971,363

790,534

Accumulated surplus is comprised of: Accumulated surplus (Page 46) $ Accumulated remeasurement gains (Page 47)

963,732 7,631

777,448 13,086

971,363

790,534

Approved on behalf of the Board of Directors:

Director

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

2021/ 2022 ANNUAL REPOR T

TRAVEL MANITOBA

Statement of Operations and Accumulated Surplus

For the year ended March 31

2022

2021

Revenue Budget Total Total Province of Manitoba $ 13,865,000 $ 13,865,000 $ 13,865,000 Partnership and leveraged marketing 200,000 195,751 43,949 Other initiatives ‑ Federal and provincial funding 520,000 524,357 1,300,000 Other 50,000 65,419 80,336 Expenses (Note 12) Marketing and industry relations Corporate services Visitor services Amortization

14,635,000 14,650,527

14,635,000 14,464,243 15,280,715

15,289,285

13,036,410 12,832,524 13,595,975 948,620 1,061,470 1,055,868 609,970 532,647 557,656 40,000 37,602 71,216

Annual surplus - 186,284 8,570 Accumulated surplus, beginning of the year 777,448 777,448 768,878 $

Accumulated surplus, end of the year

777,448

963,732

777,448

TRAVEL MANITOBA

Statement of Change in Net Financial Assets

For the year ended March 31

2022

2021

Annual surplus $

Budget Total Total $ 186,284 $ 8,570

Acquisition of tangible capital assets Amortization of tangible capital assets Loss on sale of tangible capital assets Proceeds on sale of tangible capital assets (Increase) decrease in prepaid expenses (Increase) decrease in remeasurement gains

- 40,000 - - - -

(102,426) 37,602 (9,384) (5,455)

(12,618) 71,216 2,266 1,535 (114,769) 9,220

40,000

(79,663)

(43,150)

Change in net financial assets

40,000

106,621

(34,580)

Net financial assets, beginning of year

557,406

591,986

Net financial assets, end of year

664,027

557,406

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

LEADING TOURISM RECOVERY

TRAVEL MANITOBA

Statement of Remeasurement Gains

For the year ended March 31 Accumulated remeasurement gains, beginning of year

2022

13,086

Unrealized gain (loss) attributable to foreign exchange

(5,455)

Accumulated remeasurement gains, end of year

7,631

2021 $

3,866 9,220

13,086

TRAVEL MANITOBA

Statement of Cash Flows

For the year ended March 31

2022

2021

Cash Flows from Operating Activities Annual surplus $ Changes in non cash items Amortization of capital assets Loss on disposal of capital assets Unrealized remeasurement gain (loss) Due from the Province of Manitoba Trade accounts receivable Prepaid expenses Accounts payable and accrued liabilities Deferred revenue Employee future benefits

37,602 71,216 2,266 (5,455) 9,220 8,817 (101,234) 666,239 (9,384) (114,769) (422,151) (155,926) 380,611 (260,500) 90,439 (13,734)

Cash provided by operating transactions

156,712

Cash Flows from Financing and Investing Activities

186,284

8,570

221,399

Cash Flows from Capital Activities Acquisition of tangible capital assets Proceeds on sale of tangible capital assets

(102,426) -

(12,618) 1,535

(102,426)

(11,083)

Net increase in cash and cash equivalents 54,286 Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of year 2,647,579

210,316 2,437,263

Cash and cash equivalents, end of year

2,701,865

2,647,579

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

2021/ 2022 ANNUAL REPOR T

TRAVEL MANITOBA

Notes to Financial Statements For the year ended March 31, 2022 1.

Nature of the Organization Travel Manitoba was created as a Crown Corporation on April 1, 2005 under The Travel Manitoba Act as the culmination of extensive consultation and leadership from both the tourism industry and the provincial government. Travel Manitoba’s mission is to increase tourism’s contribution to the provincial economy by leading the marketing of Manitoba as a tourism destination by fostering a competitive and sustainable tourism industry. Travel Manitoba collaborates closely and in partnership with the tourism industry and governments to attract visitors to Manitoba, sustaining and creating jobs and businesses in the tourism sector in the province. Travel Manitoba receives core funding from the Province of Manitoba to facilitate operations and to mobilize public and private resources to further foster the growth and professionalism of the tourism industry in Manitoba. Travel Manitoba is economically dependent on the Province of Manitoba because it derives a significant portion of its revenue from the Province of Manitoba.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies The financial statements are prepared in accordance with Canadian public sector accounting standards (“PSAS”) as recommended by the Public Sector Accounting Board, and reflect the following significant accounting policies: a.

Financial Assets

Cash and cash equivalents consist of cash and short‑term deposits with a duration of less than ninety days from the date of acquisition. Accounts receivable and amounts due from the Province of Manitoba are recorded at the lower of cost and net realizable value. An allowance for doubtful accounts is recorded when there is uncertainty whether the amounts will be collected. b.

Liabilities

Liabilities are present obligations as a result of transactions and events occurring prior to the end of the fiscal year. The settlement of the liabilities will result in the future transfer or use of assets or other form of settlement. Liabilities are recorded at the estimated amount ultimately payable. c.

Employee Future Benefits The Organization provides retirement allowance and pension benefits to its employees.

Retirement allowances are provided to certain qualifying employees. The benefits are provided under a final pay plan. The costs of benefits earned by employees are charged to expenses as services are rendered. The costs are actuarially determined using the projected benefit method and reflect management’s best estimates of the length of service, salary increases and ages at which employees will retire. Actuarial gains and losses are recognized in income immediately. Employees of the Organization are provided pension benefits by the Civil Service Superannuation Fund (“the Fund”). Under paragraph 6 of the Civil Service Superannuation Act, the Organization is described as a “matching employer” and its contribution toward the pension benefits is limited to matching the employees’ contributions to the Fund. In addition, an individual has entitlement to enhanced pension benefits. The plan is based on final pay and is indexed. The cost of the benefits earned by the employee is charged to expenses as services are rendered. The cost is actuarially determined using the projected benefit method and reflects management’s best estimate of salary increases and the age at which the employee will retire. Sick leave benefits that accumulate but do not vest, are determined using present value techniques and reflect management‘s best estimate of future cost trends associated with such benefits and interest rates. Adjustment to these costs arising from changes in estimates and experience gains and losses are amortized to income over the estimated average remaining service life of the employee groups on a straight line basis. d.

Non-Financial Assets

Non‑financial assets are used to provide the Organization’s services in future periods. These assets do not normally provide resources to discharge the liabilities of the organization unless they are sold. The Organization’s non‑financial assets include prepaid expenses and tangible capital assets.

LEADING TOURISM RECOVERY

TRAVEL MANITOBA

Notes to Financial Statements For the year ended March 31, 2022 e.

Tangible Capital Assets

Tangible capital assets are recorded at cost less accumulated amortization and are amortized over the estimated useful lives of the assets at the following rates:

Computer hardware

30%, declining balance

Computer software

30%, declining balance

Furniture and equipment

5%, declining balance

Leasehold improvements

5%, declining balance

VIC technology

5 years, straight line

Vehicles

5 years, straight line

Revenue Recognition

Government transfers without eligibility criteria or stipulations are recognized as revenue when the transfer is authorized. Government transfers with eligibility criteria but without stipulations are recognized as revenue when the transfer is authorized and all eligibility criteria have been met. Government transfers with or without eligibility criteria but with stipulations are recognized as revenue in the period the transfer is authorized and all eligibility criteria have been met, except to the extent that the transfer gives rise to a liability. Partnership and marketing revenue are recognized when services are rendered if the amount to be received can be reasonably estimated and collection is reasonably assured. The Organization recognizes revenue arising from non‑monetary transactions in the period when services have been rendered if the amount to be received can be reasonably estimated and collection is reasonably assured. g. h.

Expenses All expenses incurred for goods and services are recorded on an accrual basis. Contributed Materials and Services

Contributed materials and services which are used in the normal course of the Organization’s operations and would otherwise have been purchased are recorded at their fair value at the date of contribution if fair value can be reasonably estimated. i.

Measurement Uncertainty

The preparation of financial statements in accordance with Canadian public sector accounting standards for government not‑for‑profit organizations requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from management’s best estimates as additional information becomes available in the future. 3.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Organization invests all surplus cash into short‑term deposits with the Province’s Treasury Division. These deposits are made up of 30, 60 and 90 day callable term deposits. A dedicated account has been established to safeguard the Organization’s retirement allowance obligation and enhanced pension benefit costs. Interest earned will be retained in the account. The balance at March 31, 2022 is $128,238 ($127,497 at March 31, 2021). The Organization has a credit facility to a maximum of $500,000 with interest at prime plus 1% (effective rate of 3.45% as at March 31, 2022) which is secured by a general security agreement. As at March 31, 2022, the facility remains unused. 4.

Due from the Province of Manitoba

Upon inception on April 1, 2005, the Organization recorded accumulated severance pay benefits receivable and payable of $368,937 transferred from the Province of Manitoba for its employees. This receivable, or portion thereof, for the Organization, will be collected by the Organization as severance benefits are paid to employees on record as at April 1, 2005. The receivable from the Province of Manitoba at March 31, 2022 is $16,901 ($16,901 at March 31, 2021).

2021/ 2022 ANNUAL REPOR T

TRAVEL MANITOBA

Notes to Financial Statements For the year ended March 31, 2022 5.

Tangible Capital Assets

2022 Opening Balance

Additions

Disposals

Closing Balance

Cost Vehicles $ Computer hardware Computer software Furniture and equipment Leasehold improvements VIC Technology

25,785 $ 79,895 61,213 38,583 46,691 439,650

- $ 18,792 54,486 29,148 - -

- $ - 8,679 - - -

25,785 98,687 107,020 67,731 46,691 439,650

691,817

102,426

8,679

785,564

Accumulated Amortization Vehicles Computer hardware Computer software Furniture and equipment Leasehold improvements VIC Technology

18,050 52,382 56,490 7,953 20,477 433,584

5,157 13,830 9,590 2,989 1,311 4,725

- - 8,679 - - -

23,207 66,212 57,401 10,942 21,788 438,309

588,936

37,602

8,679

617,859

Net book value

102,881 $

64,824 $

- $

167,705

LEADING TOURISM RECOVERY

TRAVEL MANITOBA

Notes to Financial Statements For the year ended March 31, 2022 5.

Tangible Capital Assets (continued)

2021

Opening Balance

Additions

Disposals

Closing Balance

Cost Vehicles $ Computer hardware Computer software Furniture and equipment Leasehold improvements VIC Technology

25,785 $ 79,482 61,213 33,544 46,691 439,650

- $ 7,579 - 5,039 - -

- $ 7,166 - - - -

25,785 79,895 61,213 38,583 46,691 439,650

686,365

12,618

7,166

691,817

Accumulated Amortization Vehicles Computer hardware Computer software Furniture and equipment Leasehold improvements VIC Technology

12,893 44,071 54,236 6,341 19,097 384,447

5,157 11,676 2,254 1,612 1,380 49,137

- 3,365 - - - -

18,050 52,382 56,490 7,953 20,477 433,584

521,085

71,216

3,365

588,936

Net book value

165,280 $

(58,598) $

3,801 $

102,881

Employee Future Benefits Retirement Allowances The Organization measures its accrued benefit obligation for each of the retirement allowance and enhanced pension benefits as at March 31 of each year. The most recent actuarial valuation report for the retirement allowance was at April 1, 2022 and the most recent finalized and approved actuarial valuation report for the enhanced pension benefits was at December 31, 2020. The significant actuarial assumptions adopted in measuring the Organization’s retirement allowance obligation and costs are as follows:

2022 Benefit costs for the year ended March 31 Discount rate Rate of compensation increase Employer contributions $

2021/ 2022 ANNUAL REPOR T

5.75% 3.50% 313,605

2021

5.75% 3.50% 192,407

TRAVEL MANITOBA

Notes to Financial Statements For the year ended March 31, 2022 6.

Employee Future Benefits (continued) The significant actuarial assumptions adopted in measuring the Organization’s enhanced pension benefit and costs are as follows:

2022 2021 Benefit costs for the year ended March 31 Discount rate Rate of compensation increase Employer contributions $

5.75% 5.75% 3.50% 3.50% 17,466 $ 17,301

Sick Leave Sick leave benefits that accumulate but do not vest, are determined using present value techniques and are estimated to be a liability as at March 31, 2022 of $51,000 ($48,000 in 2021). The amount is not considered to be significant by management, and as such has not been recorded as a liability in the financial statements of the Organization. 7.

Deferred Revenue Deferred revenue represents payments received for partnership initiatives that pertain to a future period and will be recognized in the period in which the service is performed.

2022 2021 Balance, beginning of year $ Add amount received during the year Less amount recognized as revenue during the year Balance, end of year

$ 260,500 380,611 - (260,500) 380,611

Financial Instrument Risk The Organization is exposed to different types of risk in the normal course of operations, including credit risk and liquidity risk. The Organization’s objective in risk management is to optimize the risk return trade‑off, within set limits, by applying integrated risk management and control strategies, policies and procedures throughout the Organization’s activities.

Credit Risk Credit risk is the risk that one party to a financial instrument fails to discharge an obligation and causes financial loss to another party. Financial instruments which potentially subject the Organization to credit risk consist principally of trade accounts receivable, due from the Province of Manitoba, and short‑term deposits. The Organization’s maximum exposure to credit risk is as follows: 0–30 Days Trade accounts receivables (net of allowance of $15,000)

30,380

31–40 Days $

21,818

Over 60 Days $

88,323

LEADING TOURISM RECOVERY

TRAVEL MANITOBA

Notes to Financial Statements For the year ended March 31, 2022 8.

Financial Instrument Risk (continued) Trade Accounts Receivables ‑ The Organization is not exposed to significant credit risk as the accounts receivable are spread among a broad client base and payment in full is typically collected when it is due. The Organization establishes an allowance for doubtful accounts that represents its estimate of potential credit losses. The allowance for doubtful accounts is based on management’s estimates and assumptions regarding current market conditions, customer analysis and historical payment trends. These factors are considered when determining whether past due accounts are allowed for or written off. Due from the Province of Manitoba ‑ The Organization is not exposed to significant credit risk related to these balances as there are underlying agreements to support their collection.

Liquidity Risk Liquidity risk is the risk that the Organization will not be able to meet its financial obligations as they fall due. The Organization has a planning and budgeting process in place to help determine the funds required to support the Organization’s normal operating requirements on an ongoing basis. The Organization ensures that there are sufficient funds to meet its short‑term requirements, taking into account its anticipated cash flows from operations and its holdings of cash and cash equivalents. To achieve this aim, it seeks to maintain cash balances to meet, at a minimum, expected requirements for a period of at least 90 days. The following table sets out the contractual maturities representing undiscounted contractual cash‑flows of financial liabilities: 0–30 Days Trade accounts payable

1,112,150

31–40 Days $

4,455

Over 60 Days $

Contingencies and Commitments The Organization has entered into lease agreements for rental of facilities at various locations expiring in June 2035 with total annual payments of $496,789. In addition, the Organization has entered into lease agreements for computer equipment expiring in December 2026, for total annual payments of $19,121.

10. Non-monetary Transactions During the current year, the Organization entered into contracts with exchanges of non‑monetary services for other non‑monetary services with little or no monetary consideration involved. These transactions are within normal business activities and were done in order to carry out the mandate of the Organization. The aggregate amount of all non‑monetary transactions in the current year total $5,000 ($3,000 in 2021). The Organization has not incurred any gains or losses in the current year with respect to these non‑monetary transactions. 11. Uncertainty due to COVID-19 The global pandemic has continued to disrupt economic activities and supply chains. This has adverse impacts in Canada and on the global economy. The full impact of the COVID‑19 outbreak continues to evolve as at the date of this report. As such, it is uncertain as to the full magnitude of the effect that the pandemic will have on the Organization’s financial condition, liquidity and future results of operations. The Organization is not able to estimate the effects of the COVID‑19 outbreak on its results of operations, financial condition, or liquidity for fiscal 2022–2023.

2021/ 2022 ANNUAL REPOR T

TRAVEL MANITOBA

Notes to Financial Statements For the year ended March 31, 2022 12. Expenses by Function

2022

BUDGET

Communication $ 9,425,000 $ Personnel services 3,290,000 Grants/Transfer Payments - Supplies and services 1,000,000 Other operating 711,000 Transportation 150,000 Minor capital 19,000 Amortization 40,000

14,635,000

2021

7,444,945 $ 8,010,614 3,271,813 2,930,388 2,149,849 2,500,000 1,027,542 1,378,545 468,247 371,657 27,059 3,567 37,186 14,728 37,602 71,216

14,464,243

15,280,715

LEADING TOURISM RECOVERY

↑ William Lake Provincial Park PHOTO: KYLE SCHAPPERT

2021/ 2022 ANNUAL REPOR T

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