An outline of the proposed tourism strategy that would be funded by municipal tax dollars raised from previously-exempt student dormitories came before the policies and priorities committee on Sept. 19.
The plan is titled Destination Olds. Olds Institute executive director Mitch Thomson is leading a committee developing it.
Attracting more people to town and having them spend more money is the main goal.
Destination Olds calls for attracting conferences, sporting events and festivals. This would be achieved through marketing some of the major facilities in town like the Sportsplex, those on Olds Regional Exhibition (ORE) and college grounds, as well as hotels, restaurants and the golf course.
Thomson lists a few events like Hort Week, Fibre Week and Summer Synergy that already attract visitors. He said part of the goal will be to increase the length and frequency of visits to Olds.
Also, the strategy is about maximizing opportunities that arise from visits people make to Olds for services, whether they're staying overnight for surgery at the hospital or stopping by to shop.
"We recognize it's not just about the big events and activities, but also the crowd that comes to the community for services as well," Thomson said.
Destination Olds has been in the works since council directed town administration to ensure taxes levied on student housing would benefit both Olds College and the community at large.
In December 2015, council decided to tax dormitories, including Centennial Village, after the college entered an operating agreement with College Housing Olds Company (CHOC), to run those facilities for profit. The tax bylaw takes effect one year after it's passed.
As a taxable endeavour on campus, revenues from the Pomeroy Inn & Suites would also be directed to the tourism strategy.
The policies and priorities committee heard there would be about $130,000 in funding each year, though chief administrative officer Norm McInnis said the Pomeroy had just completed an appeal of its assessment.
"It's not a really big pool of money but it's enough to get us working with all the partners contributing to make a significant difference in the community," Thomson said.
According to a request for decision from Thomson's tourism committee, that money would go into the Destination Olds Collective Fund (DOCF). It would be spent on various marketing and promotional activities, plus cover procurement costs for clients and initiatives "deemed to create value and positive results impact for all partners."
Thomson said the committee is still working on developing key performance indicators and benchmarks. He said data collection needs to be done, including a look at vacancy rates of facilities in town.
"It's not a really big pool of money but it's enough to get us working with all the partners contributing to make a significant difference in the community." MITCH THOMSONCHAIR DESTINATION OLDS COMMITTEE
