Tourism Saskatchewan - IndustryMatters.com

One of Tourism Saskatchewan’s Ends Policies states that
the organization will develop the capacity of
Saskatchewan’s tourism industry by providing leadership
and programs that enhance the tourism industry’s
capacity to deliver superb visitor experiences with a
commitment to sustainable development. In 2010-2011,
Tourism Saskatchewan participated in a number of
initiatives to achieve this goal.
Quality Assurance Program
The 2010-2011 fiscal year marked the second year of
work on the Quality Assurance Program (QAP), as
outlined in the Three-Year Business Plan 2009-2012.
Notable accomplishments include the dedication of fulltime
staff resources to the project, and ongoing support
throughout Tourism Saskatchewan (including the
reallocation of financial resources to support the project).
The Ministry of Tourism, Parks, Culture and Sport
announced additional funding in the Provincial Budget in
March. This funding allowed work to progress in a
multitude of areas, including development of benefits for
accredited businesses, and a pilot process to test and
validate the proposed approach for program
development.
Fifteen business groups have been identified and
prioritized for the development of quality assurance
criteria. Each of these groups will have Industry Validation
Committees (IVC) that will work through a facilitated
process to define quality and identify ways that quality
can be evaluated consistently throughout the province.
Each IVC will use the concept of a “Culture of Quality” to
define and guide its work. Specifically, the following three
steps have been identified for application to the QAP.
• Define quality (through the development and testing of
comprehensive criteria based upon industry leadership
and direction);
• Evaluate quality (the preparation and sharing of tools
and programs to assist operators in planning their quality
initiatives); and,
• Recognize quality (the accreditation of operators and
the design of business benefits provided by Tourism
Saskatchewan).
The Accommodations IVC met in June and again in
September. During these two-day meetings, the group
created Quality Criteria and an Evaluation Form for the
accommodations industry. This process and approach
used will be duplicated for other industries.
The President’s Quality Assurance Task Team continued
to provide leadership and vision for the program design
and benefit development. During the two meetings, the
Task Team examined possible barriers to program
adoption, brainstormed possible approaches and
solutions to overcome these obstacles, and created a list
for the self-assessed program criteria. The Task Team’s
Terms of Reference will be extended for one additional
year in order to continue work until the first stages of the
program are implemented.
Destination Area Planning
Implementation of the Lake Diefenbaker plan continued
during 2010-2011. In May, a five-year project to refurbish
the marina at Elbow Harbour under private-sector
ownership was announced. The Ministry of Tourism,
Parks, Culture and Sport awarded a contract to install an
armouring system along 330 metres of shoreline at the
Elbow Harbour Recreation Site in August. This was the
top priority for Elbow Harbour in the Destination Area
Plan.
The project to complete the Trans Canada Trail network
around Outlook continued with major refurbishment and
conversion of the former highway bridge, south of
Outlook, to pedestrian traffic. The highway bridge and
SkyTrail, the former CPR bridge and longest pedestrian
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