Tourism Swift Current celebrates new office location and tourism ambassador
A new office location and a tourism ambassador are the latest measures by Tourism Swift Current to promote the community.
The official opening of the new office space in the Swift Current Mall and the announcement about the tourism ambassador program took place on April 18 during the celebration of Tourism Week in Canada.
There were dignitary speeches and a ribbon cutting as part of a Chamber on Tap networking event hosted by the Swift Current & District Chamber of Commerce at the new tourism office.
“We are so excited and happy to be here in partnership with the Swift Current Mall,” Tourism Swift Current Board Chair Karen Richmond said during her remarks. “We’re looking forward to a long and happy relationship here.”
Tourism Swift Current is a destination marketing organization that promotes tourism in Swift Current and southwest Saskatchewan. It operates as a nonprofit, membership-based organization.
“We are in the midst of a regeneration, rejuvenation and renewal of Tourism Swift Current, and looking forward to growing our membership and providing stellar service to all of our members and all of the tourism industries in Swift Current,” she said.
Mayor Al Bridal brought greetings on behalf of the City of Swift Current. He expressed appreciation for the work done by Tourism Swift Current.
“It’s exciting to see this progress for Tourism Swift Current in a highly visible area for visitors of our region ahead of the tourist season,” he said. “I’m looking forward to all the things they’ve planned for 2024.”
Tourism Swift Current CEO Rebecca Anderson, who has been in this position since August 2023, said there has been a lot of change in the organization that started even before she came into her role. She expressed appreciation towards the member organizations for their support.
“I haven’t had the chance to go around and meet everybody, but everyone that I have met with has been very supportive and had great things to say and excited about the path that we’re taking right now,” she said.
The new location in the Swift Current Mall includes office and meeting spaces as well as a retail space with a variety of products available for purchase.
Anderson said afterwards during a media interview that some renovations were carried out in December and the move to the new location took place in January.
“It’s been a bit of a progress of assembling and gathering everything that we wanted for the space,” she noted. “We wanted to wait a little bit before we had any kind of an opening ceremony. We went through a rebranding process. We wanted to make sure we had our branding in place and the signage and decals that went along with that.”
She added that the opening of the new location became a reality with the support of different organizations in the community.
“We’ve been very fortunate,” she said. “So many groups have donated a lot of the furniture that you see here and a lot of the different displays or supplies. So it’s been remarkable.”
The changes within Tourism Swift Current and a need for space made it necessary to move from its previous location at the Swift Current Museum. She immediately thought about the Swift Current Mall as an ideal location for the new tourism office, because it is situated at the intersection of the Trans-canada Highway and Highway No. 4. There is a variety of retail services at this crossroads to cater to the needs of travellers.
“This is where they’re pulling off to get those last groceries before going camping, before they’re going to the lake or just for a break,” she said. “So if we can be at the place where people are stopping already, then we can draw them in and educate people on what is available
to experience in the city and in the region.”
The period from January to April is usually a lower traffic time for tourism, but the information being made available and put out on display outside the office have been picked up and she had to frequently refill the display stands.
“I think that just goes to show that even people that live here regionally are wanting some of that information and because it’s right here, it’s so accessible to them,” she said. “Definitely of the last couple weeks in April we’re starting to see more travellers. I think we’re going to see a lot more of that, especially as we get the rest of our signage in place.”
Billboards were scheduled to be installed before the end of April on the east and west side of the city along the Trans-canada Highway, which will highlight the presence of the Tourism Swift Current visitor centre in the mall.
The new tourism ambassador program will be another way to promote the community and member businesses through some exciting online campaigns. Tourism Swift Current received grant funding from Tourism Saskatchewan for this initiative.
“Part of the reason Tourism Swift Current exists is to help promote and market our members and the community,” she explained. “And what better way to do that than to have somebody acting as an ambassador to experience what those businesses have to offer and showcase it.”
Social media has become an important platform for this type of promotion. Tourism Swift Current therefore put out a call for local bloggers or influencers who are interested in spending four months from May to August on a parttime basis to promote Swift Current and region to visitors and travellers.
Tourism Swift Current received several submissions and Ahrian Elevado was selected to be the tourism ambassador for this period in 2024.
“I was really impressed with her skill set and what she’s already been able to accomplish,” Anderson said. “She’s got a proven record with the data that she has for her own personal accounts and the work that she has been doing with other businesses in the community.”
Elevado is looking forward to this new challenge and to use her social media skills in this way to promote the city and tourism.
“It’s exciting, because I’ve lived here in Swift Current for a long time,” she said. “I basically grew up here. So I think it’s going to be fun promoting a lot of events and businesses around Swift Current.”
She has done freelance graphic design work in which she applies her knowledge of social media, photography and videography in different contexts. She is currently also working as a social media specialist for Cypress Motors in Swift Current.
“I think it’s going to be fun being an ambassador and showcasing to people what Swift Current has to offer,” she said.