Tourism spending on the rise in Swift Current
A year after Swift Current’s main tourism events drew record high numbers, an equally strong 2018 helped the community attract over 47,000 visitors to the community.
Tourism Swift Current recently highlighted that the major tourism events in Swift Current drew 47,368 people in 2018, a growth of 245 per cent from the 19,272 people drawn to major events in Swift Current in 2008. which had attendance totals of 8,423 people.
“Windscape celebrates who we are, what we are,” he said. “They’ve done a remarkable job over the last 10 years of celebrating the wind. And as far as events go, this is a unique event. It’s not what every community has, and that by itself brings people who just want to be kids again and fly a kite.”
He said the reputation of this event and the calibre of the kite enthusiasts attending continues to grow, with Windscape bringing in renown kite flyers and builders from around the world.
Friesen points out the core event visitation totals are only a partial picture of Swift Current’s actual tourism totals, as those numbers do not include attendance at other attractions including the Swift Current Broncos and the Swift Current 57s, or the concerts, tournaments and other special events and activities during every calendar year. And clearly, the Broncos Western Hockey League Championship run had a significant impact on spending in Swift Current this past season.
“When you look at everything taking place in Swift Current, there’s a lot going on. And I don’t know if the City gets credit for what they have done,” he said. “But if you look at the growth over the last 15 years, this is a growing community, not just in tourism, not just in events, but we see growth in all areas.”
“If you look at the region, the region is seen as a destination and Swift Current lies in the middle of it. So you’ve got the events in Swift Current which draw people, and the numbers reflect that and the visitor spending reflects that. But you’ve also got the benefits of the region which would include Cypress Hills, Grasslands, Lake Diefenbaker, Great Sand Hills. But we’re in a region that is a destination, and we’re part of that region. Its not any one single thing, it’s not any one single part of that region, but the combined region is a draw, and it is a growing destination.”
He explained the two biggest attendees of events and attractions in Swift Current and the region are residents of Southwest Saskatchewan and Southeast Alberta.
“It’s also a matter of participating in events within our region. It’s one thing to invite people to Swift Current, but it’s also important for you to visit your own backyard - whether that includes
Grasslands or Cypress Hills,” Friesen said.
“I think we’ve got some really good things happening. When I look at the base of events that we have, and the activities taking place in Swift Current - and then you look at the strength of the region and the visitors that we draw - the majority of our visitors come from within the province. And that’s good.”
“What you’ll see if you look closely at visitor spending in the province, you’ll see a large amount of those dollars actually come from within the province. Which means people are visiting their backyard.”
“It’s good to have that, what I would refer to pride in ourselves. And it’s good when we actually explore our own backyard. But if we’re going to grow beyond where we are, we’re going to have to seize that opportunity and we need to grow a global market,” he said. “Those are things we want to explore at our upcoming 49° by 110° Spring Conference in May,” he said.
Tourism Swift Current’s ninth annual 49° x 110° Spring Conference is set for May 2-3 at the Living Sky Casino Event Centre. This showcase tourism event for the Southwest brings together representatives from the tourism sector along with economic development and private business.
Friesen added that 2019 will be a big tourism year in the community, with Hockey Day in Canada, the return of Living Sky Casino Pow Wow, and the large economic impact of the 2019 Western Canada Summer Games.
“It puts a spotlight on the community, and it also leaves a legacy of venues. It’s an opportunity for us to not only participate but to celebrate our community. Those events are just added to what is already a solid base of annual events. And if you add all that up, you have a lot going on and you’ve got a lot of good things ahead.”