By Geoff Smith

Battlefords’ role in tourism celebrated

May 30, 2016 | 1:17 PM

The organization that promotes tourism in the Battlefords plans to announce some new initiatives.

Destination Battlefords executive director Ryan Bater helped raise flags at North Battleford city hall and Battleford town hall Monday, May 30 to mark Tourism Awareness Week. Bater said tourism is a $22 million industry in the Battlefords, a community that has bucked the economic downturn.

“In fact, we’re one of the only communities in Saskatchewan that’s going to see a new hotel this year,” Bater said, referring to the 100-room Comfort Inn and Suites planned for Frontier Centre.

“I think that’s a testament to a thriving tourism sector,” he said.

Bater described the Battlefords as a “four-season community” that doesn’t “roll up the sidewalks in the wintertime.”

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“We see outfitting in the fall time, we see a lot of people here in the wintertime for skiing or snowboarding or snowmobiling, and of course summertime, people will come here for camping and lakes,” Bater said, adding the community has to continue to work to promote its amenities.

Owen Einseidler, Tourism Saskatchewan’s field representative for the west-central area, said the Battlefords play a major part in the overall industry, which generates over $2.1 billion, $600 million of which comes from visitors from outside the province.

“It has a lot of tourism attractions, and most recently, really working very much on events like the International Street Performers Festival which brings people to the Battlefords,” Einseidler said.

The community is also hosting events in the next couple of years like the Saskatchewan 55-plus Games from July 5 to 7, a Grand Slam of Curling event in January 2017, and the 2018 Saskatchewan Winter Games.

As part of tourism week the Battlefords River Valley Visitor Centre is hosting a free open house and barbecue Thursday, June 2 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

gsmith@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @smithco