International tourism website raves about ‘breathtaking’ Red Deer
Red Deer’s much more than a bathroom and coffee break between Edmonton and Calgary, enthuses a prominent tourism arbiter.
The central Alberta hub better known for its oil and gas servicing role and nearby pit stop strip is a North American wonder, one of the continent’s “34 most breathtaking places,” according to an article on Expedia.ca.
Alberta’s third-largest city finished 26th on the list, ahead of Tulum, Mexico and old Havana, though well behind first place holder Haida Gwaii, B.C.’s spectacular west coast archipelago.
The honour is no exaggeration, insists Tara Veer, Red Deer’s mayor since 2013.
“We have to say, in many regards, it doesn’t surprise us,” said Veer, born and bred in the city of 100,000.
Sure, most fellow Albertans know her city as a pit stop or for its gritty edges, said the city’s proud mayor.
She even distanced her city from the much-visited Gasoline Alley, a stretch of filling stations and fast food outlets.
“Gasoline Alley is in Red Deer County, it isn’t even in the City of Red Deer,” said Veer.
“Red Deer has had an identity challenge throughout the province — millions of people in any given year bypass Red Deer or drive through the industrial sections of the community.
“To know the real Red Deer, you need to come into Red Deer.”
Expedia.ca seems to know that real Red Deer, she said, noting that the article focuses on the city’s outdoor amenities, like Maskepetoon Park and Bower Ponds while also touching on its “lively” downtown.
“We are a city inside a park,” said Veer, describing her hometown’s 120-km linear green space system.
The online piece written by Jennifer Cuellar seems to have a mind meld with Red Deer’s efforts in burnishing perceptions of the city, a four-year effort dubbed The Identity Project, said Veer.
“The fact there are now external validations of that work says we may not have arrived yet but we have made progress,” she said.
One thing absent from Red Deer’s entry in the online article was a photo of the city.
Canada’s oldest national park rates No. 3 on the web page’s list, complete with a photo of Moraine Lake with a caption reading “images of Banff National Park and Lake Louise are nothing short of awe-inspiring.”