The Town of Olds has plenty of amenities but could benefit from beautifying the community and making it easier to navigate, according to a report on “visitor friendliness” presented to council.
Expedition Management Consulting authored the Visitor Friendly Community and Regional Assessment Report, which also included Mountain View County and Sundre.
It defines “visitor friendliness” as how attractive, welcoming and easily-navigated a community is, as well as how well visitors are treated.
Mitch Thomson, executive director of the Olds Institute for Community and Regional Development (OI), presented the findings to council before Christmas.
By creating positive experiences for visitors, the town benefits by retaining businesses, creating community pride and cashing in on tourism spending, he said.
“It reinforces a positive community image, it creates better experiences for visitors, it makes visits more enjoyable and easy, it influences how people talk about our community and encourages them to return,” Thomson said.
Olds' strengths outlined in the report included its regional shopping hub that features a wide range of services, the unique shopping experience of Uptowne Olds, Centennial Park, Olds College and the Olds Regional Exhibition.
The areas the town could improve upon were:
Vacant lots, blank walls and unsightly parking areas.
Lack of entrance signage to Uptowne Olds.
Inconsistent way-finding signs.
Some parts of town are not pedestrian-friendly.
The Visitor Information Centre (located at the Olds Aquatic Centre) needs improvement.
There's limited visitor data to support customer service and marketing efforts.
“Most of the things that were in the Town of Olds domain have been identified in various other studies, like the Uptowne Olds Area Redevelopment Plan, Parks and Open Spaces Master Plan, our facility replacement study that we've done,” said Norm McInnis, the town's chief administrative officer.
“So what we're going to do in January, we're bringing back a report to council on what things are on the horizon, where they lie in other plans.”
There have been suggestions that frontline workers of businesses be trained to provide directions and information for visitors. McInnis said that should be a responsibility delegated to either the OI or the Olds and District Chamber of Commerce.
Thomson said a study conducted by the province last year indicated that having a person provide visitor information is a good idea.
Visitors tend to use the Internet to plan their trips before arriving at their destination. But once they show up, they want to pick up a brochure and speak to somebody.
“So ensuring that we have a strong visitor information centre, that our businesses have an idea of where things are and what opportunities there are to cross-market and work together will enable us to create better experiences and get more out of our visitor trips,” he said.
