Previously the CEO of Whistler Resort, Suzanne Denbak knows a thing or two about tourism.
Denbak was the facilitator of a recent workshop which the local economic Development Officer Emily Colombo and Northern BC Tourism partnered to bring to the community.
The consultant has worked with some highly successful communities in the tourism industry including Squamish, Fernie, and Cranbrook, to name just a few, to help them develop their tourism strategies and programs.
Clint Fraser of Northern BC Tourism called Denbak “one of the best facilitators in the province,” by way of introduction, and she began engaging the participants from the beginning, asking them what they loved about Fort St. James and what they hoped to gain from the workshop.
But Denbak also did not blow any smoke.
“Lots of places have scenery, lots of places have hiking,” said Denbak, asking participants what is going to make people turn up what is essentially a dead-end road.
But there were no end to the ideas and opportunities, from the attendees, all enthusiastic about the Fort, emphasizing the affordable recreation opportunities and beauty of the area.
“You can’t even compare Fort St. James to any other place,” said Jim Burck, when emphasizing the affordability of things like the golf course and ski hill here locally.
Leonard Thomas from Nak’azdli also emphasized the wealth of cultural heritage trails which could be developed and said he likes the fact that some of his outdoor pursuits such as fishing and hiking in the area are not necessarily limited by a person’s age.
Participant Bob Grill from the National Historic Park said he likes how when he came to the area he found “the freedom and the opportunities ... to do anything you want.”
Kevin Gedling, also from the Historic Park, called the creation of Mt. Pope Provincial Park “visionary” in the beauty and recreation it offers the community.
One of the points emphasized during the workshop was the need for groups within the community to work together more closely to help share resources and partner together to create a more comprehensive package of appealing tourism opportunities in the area.
After the workshop, Economic Development Officer Emily Colombo said she “felt really positive at the end of it,” and she feels like some good actions will be able to come out of it.
The group came up with ideas to focus on promoting and building up a few key seasonal events with additional support and do baseline research to be able to track changes in tourism which will hopefully come from further efforts.
The meeting will result in a report from Denbak, which will bring forward recommendations based on what was discussed. These will then be taken to the Fort St. James mayor and council and the Nak’azdli chief and council for approval in order to move forward.
The workshop was part of the Community Tourism Foundations Program which can help prepare communities to develop tourism opportunities and also makes them eligible for funding through the Tourism Opportunities Fund to implement actions.
Many people at the workshop also expressed interest in now becoming a part of the Tourism Committee the District of Fort St. James has, which needs more participants. Anyone who couldn’t make the workshop but would like to be a part of the committee, can contact Emily Colombo at 996-8233 during the day.