Travel Manitoba 2021/2022 Annual Report

↓ Wekusko Falls Provincial Park

Message from the Board Chair and President & CEO

↑ Northern lights, Churchill

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.

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.

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.

Colin Ferguson President & CEO, Travel Manitoba

Stuart Murray Chair of the Board of Directors, Travel Manitoba

↑ Clear Lake

PHOTO: SIMPLY ROSIE

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

The Tourism Industry in Manitoba

$720 Million

OTHER CANADIAN PROVINCES

$184.6 Million

$32.8 Million

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”

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.

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.

↑ International Peace Gardens PHOTO: INTERNATIONAL PEACE GARDENS

RESIDENT SENTIMENT

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.

MANITOBA RESIDENT SENTIMENT:

“I would welcome visitors travelling to my community…”

TRAVEL SENTIMENT OF MANITOBANS:

“I feel safe to travel to…”

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.

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.

MANITOBA RESIDENT SENTIMENT:

“How would you feel if you saw an advertisement promoting your community to visitors…”

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

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.

EXPOSURE

TO THE ROAD TRIP GUIDE 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.

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

ROAD TRIP GUIDE (2021)

TRIP GUIDE (2021) INSPIRATION GUIDE (2019)

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

Base: All respondents (N=1,000)

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 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)

36%

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

IMPACT OF BROCHURE ON MOTIVATION TO VISIT CHURCHILL

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

Survey Question: Did you use the Manitoba Road Trip Guide as a source of information to take

road trip this summer?

Base: Those who went on a Manitoba road trip (n=156)

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.

Survey Question: Have you booked an upcoming trip in Churchill?

Yes, 27%

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

ROAD

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

REVENUE GENERATION

$48,000+ in partner revenue

OBJECTIVES

Website clicks, engagement, print distribution, video views

DIGITAL GOALS

Brand awareness, site traffic, engagement

HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

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.

DIGITAL CAMPAIGN RESULTS:

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.

Churchill one of top places on Earth to the northern lights

NORTHERN LIGHTS CAMPAIGN

Visit a local gift shop

The goal of this campaign was to encourage Manitobans and Canadians to book a trip to Churchill to see northern lights. The campaign also sought to position Manitoba as a northern lights destination, establish a “third season” in Churchill, increase leads to partners and generate earned media and user-generated content.

Be safe in Churchill

CAMPAIGN DURATION

Don’t leave Churchill without finding that perfect trip keepsake. The shops along Kelsey Boulevard—Churchill’s main drag—feature works of art like carvings, paintings and prints, as well as clothing, toys and other souvenirs.

January – March 2022

PRIMARY MARKETS

Manitoba, Calgary, Montréal

MANITOBA TARGETS

year. time for witnessing aurora between February and March. northern lights when the just right—a clear night, atmospheric gases and plenty

During the late winter, the Churchill is at its clearest and present in the atmosphere to change colour resulting spectacular hues of green and the collision of solar wind these atmospheric gases that flicker, infusing the dark dancing ribbons of colours. there are plenty of multi-day available for viewing the Deciding on which one depends on your level of desire for exclusivity

To ensure the safety of visitors and residents in Churchill, operators comply with all health regulations and have put a number of procedures in place. Please note: It is required that all guests and staff be fully immunized with a Health Canada-approved COVID-19 vaccination for at least two weeks prior to their scheduled departure.

Rejuvenators, Familiarity Seekers, Learners

Be charmed by wildlife

Chase the northern lights in Churchill, Manitoba

• All guests must carry physical proof of Health Canada-approved COVID-19 vaccination on their person for the duration of their tour, as they may be required to present it on check-in at various stages of their trip. Acceptable proof of vaccination includes physical, printed or electronic vaccination records and/or cards. It is highly recommended that guests carry a physical copy of their COVID-19 vaccination record.

CALGARY AND MONTR É AL TARGETS

Authentic Experiencers

Come for the northern lights, stay for the wildlife. Don’t be surprised if arctic fox, snowy owls, wolves and ptarmigan grab the attention of your camera lens.

If the guest cannot provide proof, they may be denied participation and/or boarding.

PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

Five partner packages promoted OBJECTIVES

Wear Your Mask: Masks are currently required in all indoor public spaces in Manitoba, and may be removed only for eating and drinking. It is the guest’s responsibility to provide their own mask for the duration of the trip.

• Operators have implemented enhanced cleaning of vehicles and accommodations, and provide access to hand sanitizer and handwashing stations.

Website clicks, engagement, print distribution, video views

Pose with the Inukshuk

DIGITAL GOALS

Please refer to each individual business for a complete list of their COVID-19 policies.

Brand awareness, site traffic, engagement

Located on the beach along Hudson Bay, the inukshuk here has been the subject of many photographs. Add yourself into the picture and enjoy the view—just remember to follow the directives on all signs to stay safe.

HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

NOTE: While Travel Manitoba strongly recommends that all tourism businesses adhere to the operating protocols and capacity restrictions allowed by the Manitoba 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.

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.

PHOTO:

RENATO GRANIERI

travel manitoba .com

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.

↑ Nonsuch Brewing Co.

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?

July 1 - 19, 2021

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.

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

TOURISM REBATE INCENTIVE PROGRAM

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.

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.

hich destination and/or attraction did you visit?

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

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

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

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

RENDEZ-VOUS CANADA 2021

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.

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

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.

AUSTRALIA

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.

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.

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.

CONTENT MARKETING

BLOG:

970,660 pageviews

4:15 min average time on page

FACEBOOK:

139,650 followers

144 million impressions

3.9 million engagements

1.4 million link clicks

2.7 per cent engagement rate

INSTAGRAM:

157,397 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:

60,518 subscribers

19.38 per cent open rate

4.34 per cent click through rate

10,160 new contacts in this fiscal year

TIKTOK:

33,000 followers

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 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.

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.

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.

↓ Portage La Prairie

↑ Dauphin - Northgate Trail

PHOTO: CITY OF DAUPHIN

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

“The opening of Qaumajuq highlights the creative side of Winnipeg, a prairie city that is also home to the acclaimed Royal Winnipeg Ballet. Other cultural offerings include the annual Warming Huts contest— in which competitors design and build small, hutlike shelters or installations along the frozen river—and winter’s acclaimed New Music Festival, where subzero outdoor concerts are played on instruments made of ice.” — Karen Burshtein, TIME

Canada’s Creative Heart

“When we think about the Prairie provinces, ice-hardened winters, yawning wheat fields and vaulted blue skies come to mind, but Winnipeg is striving to change that perception by boosting its cultural cachet. Already home to institutions like the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, the city has now added Qaumajuq, the world’s first centre dedicated to Inuit art, to its culture scene.”— Chloe Berge, ELLE Canada

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 burn off tasty local treats

“Nowadays, tourists search out activities like food tours, cooking classes, wine tasting and brewery tours. They feel that local food helps them understand the local culture. Personally, I never miss the opportunity to visit a grocery store when travelling, checking out 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 favourite things to do.” — Steve Lyons, Winnipeg Free Press

In Search of Hudson Bay’s White Whales

“As I paddle across the placid Churchill River on a crisp summer morning, a ghostly white shape passes beneath my kayak. I swing round to see a beluga whale break the surface beside me, arching its torso like a dolphin before expelling a cloud of spray from its 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

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

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

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.

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

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

↑ Hecla Provincial Park

PHOTO: JOSH MCFADDIN

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.

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.

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.

Advance Destination Management

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.

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.

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.

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 FUNDLOCATION AND SECTOR

↑ Oak Hammock Marsh

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.

• 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.)

Eating Indigenous food

Cultural experiences (storytelling, tours, etc.)

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

Attending events and festivals (powwows, etc.)

Learning about Indigenous arts & crafts

Outdoor adventures led by Indigenous guides

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

Spiritual experiences (sweat lodge, ceremonies, etc.)

Hunting or fishing led by an Indigenous guide

APPEALING NEUTRAL 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

Appeal of Indigenous Cultural Offerings to Tourists

NORTHERN TOURISM STRATEGY

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.

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.

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

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

Base: All Northern Manitoba respondents (N=400)

SOURCE: PROBE RESEARCH

SNOWMOBILING

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

• Post- Secondary graduates (73 per cent)

• Those with young children at home (72 per cent)

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.

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

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

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

DIVERSITY, INCLUSION AND ANTI-RACISM INITIATIVE

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

TOURISM INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION OF CANADA (TIAC) TOWN HALL

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.

↑ Canadian Museum for Human Rights PHOTO: JP MEDIA WORKS

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.

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.

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

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

↑ Birds Hill Provincial Park

PHOTO: MAY CONTAIN STUDIO

↑ The Leaf - Canada’s Diversity Gardens

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

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

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

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

Board of Directors

Our People

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

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

Ginette Lavack Directrice générale Centre culturel franco-manitobain

Maureen Hrechkosy Owner and Operator Trail End Camp and Outfitters

Sky Bridges Chief Executive Officer The Winnipeg Foundation

Karen Chrest Manitoba 150 Board of Directors

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

PHOTO: THOMAS FRICKE

Financial Statements

↓ Beluga whales, Churchill

PHOTO: MARTIN GREGUS

↑ Journey to Churchill, Assiniboine Park Zoo

PHOTO: JP MEDIA WORKS

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:

June 22, 2022

Date

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.

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.

Independent Auditor’s Report

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.

Chartered Professional Accountants

Winnipeg, Manitoba June 22, 2022

As at March 31

Contingencies and commitments (Note 9)

Approved on behalf of the Board of Directors: Director Director

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

Expenses (Note 12)

March

Statement of Operations and Accumulated Surplus

Statement of Change in Net Financial Assets

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.

2. 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.

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

f. 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. Expenses

All expenses incurred for goods and services are recorded on an accrual basis.

h. 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).

For the year ended March 31, 2022

5. Tangible Capital Assets

For the year ended March 31, 2022

5. Tangible Capital Assets (continued)

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:

Employee Future Benefits

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:

for the year ended March 31

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.

8. 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:

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 31–40 Days Over 60 Days

Trade accounts payable $ 1,112,150 $ 4,455 $ 19

9. 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.

For the year ended March 31, 2022

12. Expenses by Function

15,280,715

↑ William Lake Provincial Park

PHOTO: KYLE SCHAPPERT