Tourism was the main subject of discussion at the Jan. 23 meeting of the Flin Flon and District Chamber of Commerce.
The guest speaker at the group’s most recent meeting was Alan McLauchlan. A former mayor of The Pas and currently a Rocky Lake-based business owner, McLauchlan was recently hired by Travel Manitoba as a consultant for the group’s ongoing Northern Manitoba Tourism Strategy.
As the speaker, McLauchlan shared news about the progress of the tourism strategy, while listening to ideas from Chamber members.
While some community members may view an industry like tourism as insignificant, McLauchlan does not – he sees a higher number of visitors to be a vital part of the northern economy.
“I want people to be excited about tourism – everybody, from the person who pumps your gas to the mayor and council, to get our mindset changed, that tourism is a really important part of our communities. If you don’t think tourism affects you, it affects all of us.”
The biggest question on the mind of McLauchlan is a deceptively tough one: what would make someone want to come to Flin Flon?
For McLauchlan, the answer comes in the form of the things that make Flin Flon unique – outdoor pursuits like fishing, camping and snowmobiling, natural destinations like the northern lights, the many lakes and trails that surround the city and cultural events like Culture Days and the upcoming Blueberry Jam Musical Gathering.
“When you take a look at the people we’re trying to attract and that come to Manitoba, they’re looking for exactly what you have here and what we have in the north. All we have to do now is to develop those packages and experiences and people will come,” he said.
To illustrate his thoughts, McLauchlan used the idea of boulders, rocks and pebbles to describe events that could attract visitors. Boulders would be major events, like the Trout Festival or last summer’s homecoming; rocks are smaller, lower profile events and locations, while pebbles are less well-known places – McLauchlan called them “hidden gems.”
“They find there’s a restaurant here that has a really special meal. That’s your hidden gem.”
McLauchlan also shared examples of place branding for other Manitoba communities, including Gimli and Portage la Prairie. Flin Flon is one of the communities to take part in Travel Manitoba’s place branding project to boost tourism. Logo designs, customized advertisements and community visualization are all included in the brand.
“I’m really excited about this, the place branding, because it gives the community a chance to develop a brand and use it however they want to use it,” he said.
“It’s an outside expert who does it and you will be astounded by what they find. It’ll be unbelievable.”
Flin Flon’s branding session will be held on Feb. 21.
Along with McLauchlan, Becky Cianflone, who is part of the Northern Manitoba Tourism Strategy steering committee, emphasized that the campaign would also benefit locations near Flin Flon in northern Saskatchewan.
“We know that a tourist in Flin Flon is good for Creighton and Denare Beach and a tourist in Creighton and Denare Beach is good for Flin Flon. Yes, we have that line separating us, but if somebody comes to Flin Flon and asks about the limestone crevices, that’s a perfect opportunity,” she said.
“I think that it’s actually a region – sometimes it just takes us some time to remind governments and provincial bodies of that.”
McLauchlan added that, since coming on board with Travel Manitoba, he has been impressed with the group’s initiative to grow tourism in the north.
“At my first meeting with Travel Manitoba, I told them I was probably the biggest complainer about Travel Manitoba and the fact they didn’t look north. Unless you were in Winnipeg or in Churchill, you didn’t see Travel Manitoba. With this position, that has changed.”
