We’re looking for others who believe in collaboration and working together to share what makes our region so amazing.
If you’re passionate about crafting outstanding experiences in the Nordegg & Abraham Lake region we’d love to talk. These are a few of the things we look for in our partners.
The first thing is a belief in putting the visitor at the centre of all adventures. Our focus is on those that Travel Alberta refers to as Curious Adventurers as the shared guest we work together to attract to our region.
You don’t have to be “in tourism”. In fact, many of the best experiences for our visitors are designed for locals. That brings an authenticity that is often lacking and that our guests crave. What matters is that you are passionate about what you have to offer and that it aligns with our shared guests.
As a minimum, you meet all industry standards, from insurance to permits and regulations. We also expect you to go beyond the basics to meet or exceed all industry best practices when it comes to risk management and the guest experience.
Things like sustainability and ethics aren’t done just to get a gold star. Like us, you believe in doing the right thing because, well, it’s the right thing to do.
Finally, you’re always improving. None of us are perfect but we’re all committed to learning from our actions, searching for new ideas to improve our operations and always making the experience better for our guests. One of the best ways to do that is by collaborating with other like-minded experience providers.
Why Should We Collaborate?
Our goal is to inspire our guests to play outside and help them experience their adventure so that they can discover the culture, people and natural beauty of the region. We can’t be successful without working with partners to grow the destination. That’s why we take on projects like this, and why we hope you’ll join us.
Our focus is on improving the visitor experience in the region. There are a lot of issues outside of our control but what we can do is collaborate on areas where we can make a difference, for example by:
- Marketing to attract visitors that benefit our local communities;
- Making it easier for visitors to plan and book their adventures;
- Collaborating to address issues like employee housing; and
- Developing destination experiences that create a feeling of wonder.
As a group, we have a stronger voice for our region and grow our destination.
Ready to Work Together?
We are currently welcoming new members who are directly involved in delivering tourism products within the Nordegg & Abraham Lake region. Contact Annabelle (annabelle@explorenordegg.ca) if you would like to learn more about attending our monthly meetings, participating in the discussions or taking part in upcoming projects.
Minimum Requirements
Participation is by invitation with the requirement that partners have demonstrated an ability to work with others, are focused on practical solutions and offer a market-ready tourism product that appeals to our target market. Each partner must also meet the requirements listed below.
- Operate in the Nordegg & Abraham Lake region at least 120 days per year with consistent hours of operation or product availability.
- Have at least one product that appeals to our target markets and aligns with our seasonal themes.
- Vacation rentals must have local property management that can handle situations as they arise, including noise complaints from neighbours and guest service requests.
- Comply with all legal requirements, permits and industry standards. This includes:
- A development permit from Clearwater County for all physical locations;
- An Access Permit, Temporary Field Authorization or another form of permission for operations inside the Public Land Use Zones (PLUZ);
- A Guiding Permit or another form of permission for operations on lands managed by Alberta Parks;
- A business license, guiding permit or another form of permission from Parks Canada for operation inside the National Parks;
- A Safety Fitness Certificate from Alberta Transportation for vehicles with a seating capacity of 11 passengers or more;
- A license from Alberta Gaming, Liquor & Cannabis (AGLC) if alcohol or cannabis is provided or included; and
- A food-handling permit from Alberta Health Services (AHS) whenever food is provided.
Destination Activation & Marketing Activities
In order to take part in any of our destination activation or marketing activities, you must:
- Meet the minimum requirements listed above;
- Have generally positive feedback from guests and/or a 4-star or higher rating on review sites;
- Have a product that is clearly differentiated based on the target market (e.g. families, couples, groups) and/or the experience provided; and
- Have a listing with current offers on Travel Alberta’s ATIS.
Contribution is project specific and may include financial, in-kind, volunteer or participation in the sales and business development activities.
Sales & Business Development Activities
In order to take part in any of our sales or business development activities, you must:
- Meet the destination activation and marketing activities requirements listed above;
- Have clear terms and conditions, including a cancellation policy and if applicable a damage policy or waiver, that is available to the guests prior to booking; and
- Answer email inquiries in regard to bookings or product availability within 24 hours.
An online booking system is preferred along with pricing that includes everything required for the particular product (e.g. cleaning fees, equipment rental, guest amenities, meals). Additional fees, mandatory or optional, must be clearly listed in the product description.
Partners participating in the sales & business development programs must provide a net rate (20%) and enter into a commercial wholesale agreement with Explore Nordegg & Abraham Lake.
Each partner is responsible for reporting that they meet the business and product requirements set out above. Partners who are found to have failed to meet these requirements may no longer be invited to participate in the activities of Explore Nordegg & Abraham Lake and may have their products removed from the marketing and sales activities.
Each partner agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Explore Nordegg & Abraham Lake Corporation, along with any other partners impacted, from and against any and all claims that occur as a result of any act or omission on their part in regard to their compliance with these requirements.