The Grande Prairie Regional Tourism Association is looking to better represent key sectors within the local region. During a policy and bylaw review earlier this year, it was recognized the board would benefit from a broader range of tourism industry partners.
As part of this expansion of scope, six new members have been added to the association’s board. These new members include BuckWild President Dave Anderson, GR8 Solutions Ltd. Co-Founder George Emmett, former GPRC Athletics Director Francois Fournier, Bannock n Bed Inn Owner and operator Charmaine Willier-Larson, IMPACT Grande Prairie Network Co-Ordinator Joanne Peckham, and Image Design’s Christine Young.
GPRTA Board President Johnathan Clarkson says the people who know the tourism industry best are those who are in the tourism industry themselves.
“They hold the experience that operators and individual businesses face every day. The industry needs to be more fully represented to really round out our board more,” he says.
Association Executive Director Terry Dow adds the board now includes representation from Indigenous tourism, professional services, the event sector, sports tourism, marketing, and industry, a change she says will be of great benefit to their industry partners.
“It is important to have the pulse of the industry and to be informed of current successes and struggles,” she says. “The new makeup of the board allows us to achieve an important goal which is to be the voice of tourism for our Region and have a strong regional representation at the Travel Alberta table as we work to recover tourism for the Region.”
Dow also now sits on the Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum and Grande Prairie DownTown Association boards to help increase the association’s profile in the local region.