The conditions are harsh but the rewards are well worth it. Amazing sunrises and sunsets, the clearest ice bubbles and majestic frozen waterfalls make us stop to capture the moment.
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?
The easiest way to get involved is to attend our monthly meetings, participate in the discussions and take part in upcoming projects. Contact Danielle (danielle@explorenordegg.ca) if you would like to learn more.
There are no membership fees but partners are expected to contribute either in-kind, by volunteering, or financially toward the projects they choose to participate in.
Business 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, be open to the public, and operate at least 120 days per year with consistent hours of operation or product availability.
- Provide training to all staff on the region’s natural history, human history, attractions, activities and visitor services available.
- Have all required permits or licenses for their operations, including where applicable:
- A development permit from Clearwater County;
- An Access Permit, Temporary Field Authorization or another form of permission from Alberta Environment 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.
- Comply with all legal requirements and industry standards for their operations and for each of the products offered. Any equipment used or provided must be in good working order.
- Carry a minimum of $2 million in insurance coverage for all products offered.
- 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.
- Answer email inquiries in regards to bookings or product availability within 24 hours.
- Have generally positive feedback from guests and a 4-star or higher rating on review sites.
- Vacation rentals must have local property management that can handle situations as they arise, including noise complaints from neighbours and guest service requests.
- Be listed with current offers on Travel Alberta’s ATIS.
- Partners should have:
- An online booking system; and
- An online presence that includes a website, social media and Google Business Profile.
- Partners participating in the sales & business development programs must offer a net rate with a 20% discount.
Product Requirements
Products listed with Explore Nordegg & Abraham Lake must align with our seasonal themes and appeal to our Curious Adventurers target market.
For each product, we need a clear description. The description should be written in a way that appeals to the ideal guest for the product, highlight the uniqueness of the product and clearly states:
- The physical requirements and guest limitations;
- The services available during the activity, including washrooms, food, water, shelter, and/or equipment provided;
- The equipment or items that the guests are expected to provide; and
- The directions to the venue or meeting location.
Pricing should include 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.
When a product is similar to a product offered by another partner it should be clearly differentiated based on the target market (e.g. families vs couples) and/or the experience provided.
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 or 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 regards to their compliance with the Business or Product Requirements.