Tourism Jasper has a new set of goals for 2012 aimed at both attracting more tourists to Jasper and ensuring they have a positive experience while they’re here.

Some of those goals include expanding the Visitor Information Centre, surveying tourists about their visits, creating events for the spring and fall and getting more businesses to implement the two-per-cent destination marketing fee (DMF).

Maggie Davison, CEO of Tourism Jasper, presented the goals, along with some of the marketing organization’s 2011 highlights, to council during its Jan. 10 meeting.

She noted that since the Jasper Destination Marketing Corporation formed in 2009, the number of shareholders collecting the marketing fee has increased to 48 from 12, representing 55 businesses in town.

The revenue generated from that two-per-cent fee funds the marketing efforts of Tourism Jasper.

Davison said business owners that are already collecting the DMF are beginning to see results, but are also questioning why they’re the ones taking risks that benefit the whole town.

“Our shareholders are starting to say, ‘You know, we’re the ones that collect the DMF. We’re the ones that have put our businesses on the line, taking the risk to make sure we market Jasper, and now the destination as a whole is benefiting from the work Tourism Jasper does,’” said Davison, who has now been tasked with the job of signing up 15 more businesses in 2012.

“My role this year is to get out there and sign up more partners so that we have pretty well everyone represented at the VIC (Visitor Information Centre).”

Davison said already, with only two years under their belt, Tourism Jasper is creating clear benefits for the community. 

In 2011, it added the fireworks and the walk of lights to Jasper in January,  it supported and marketed the rodeo in August, increasing it’s numbers, and it established the Dark Sky Festival, which took place in October.

And already in 2012, it organized the Canadian Rockies Snow Battle, which took place last weekend. 

This year, Davison said, was a test year for the tournament. The hope is next year to have it break-out as its own event in November, so that along with the Dark Sky Festival, it will create a reason for tourists to visit Jasper in the fall, a time when the visitation is generally down.

Then, in an attempt to fill the spring, Jasper’s other slow season, the marketing organization is hoping to move the rodeo to May from its usual spot in August.

“The rodeo was holding it in August because they were selling tickets to visitors that were already here,” said Davison. “We want to turn that on its head and make sure the rodeo is the reason people visit Jasper.” 

Mayor Richard Ireland addressed that idea, saying he had heard some rumblings that members of the rodeo weren’t too keen on changing dates out of fear of losing their place on the professional rodeo circuit.

“We would never want to put an event like that at risk if it wasn’t a good move for the community and a common sense move for driving tourism dollars,” responded Davison.

She also noted that in 2011, Tourism Jasper invested $45,000 into the rodeo, to demonstrate how marketing the event could attract more visitors.

“That was really to build trust and credibility as a tourism agency, with the view that we would continue to support it if they’ll take a serious look at moving it.”

Another idea that’s floating around for the spring is holding a GranFondo cycling event in Jasper.

“We’ll continue to build that out until we have the right balance of events to fill those shoulder seasons,” said Davison, who noted that Tourism Jasper can fill in the seasons and attract people to town, but once they’re here it’s the responsibility of the community to ensure visitors have a good time.

In the day and age of social media and instant communication, delivering on the experience is really important, she said, because if someone has a lousy time, all of their 500 friends will know about it within seconds.

“You see now people on Facebook post all of their trip. They talk about what they did and it’s immediate. It’s no longer you wait until they get back and, you know, put the slides in the carousel and show it to a few people.”

And with that far reach, if there is something negative to report, it could mean a loss of not only repeat visitors, but it could also damage Jasper’s international presence. 

“So we’ve got to make sure that everybody in the community understands the role they play in making sure that experience is fabulous,” said Davison. 

And that’s why the Ambassador Program is so important, she said. The program, which names a new ambassador each month, hopes to inspire people in the customer service industry to do their best and represent Jasper.

The first ambassador award was given out in September 2010 to an employee at Pyramid Lake Resort for excellent customer service.