Tourism, Arts and Entertainment
As part of the cluster process, late in 2001, working groups consisting of key leaders in the tourism, arts and entertainment cluster, came together to work on shared challenges. These were challenges that no group or company could tackle on their own. They needed the strength and collaboration of working on teams that involved other components of the cluster.
To overcome their challenges they decided to develop shared solutions. Those shared solutions are called Action Initiatives and the action initiatives for tourism, arts and entertainment are listed below.
- Establish a unified regional cluster network that emphasizes regional resources
- Increase and diversify product development and develop market for corporate tourism
- Develop innovative marketing tools and educate industry about technology tools for Web site development, kiosks and interface enhancement, develop marketing tool kits to link key suppliers to users
- Sense of Place initiative
- Create a "Harvard" training center for Tourism, Arts and Entertainment in the Calgary region.
For more information about the Tourism, Arts and Entertainment Action Initiatives
Background information
Calgary's Tourism, Arts and Entertainment cluster is a leader in the Northwest. While growing more rapidly than its competitors it is still of modest scale. Nonetheless, the cluster has an emerging brand image as the "Heart of the New West" that is supported by a diversity of regional assets.
Cluster inclusions
The cluster includes:
- Scenic and sightseeing transportation
- Performing arts, such as the theatre, symphony and contemporary music
- Spectator sports
- Heritage institutions
- Amusement parks
- Gambling
- Major parks
- Accommodations (hotels and motels)
- Suppliers, from restaurants and retail to catering
As a share of the total cluster, accommodations are largest with a strong presence of amusements, gaming and recreation. Performing arts and spectator sports are also significant players in this cluster. In general, these sectors are commensurate with the average concentration for all of Canada. The one exception is performing arts and spectator sports that stand out as substantially more specialized than the Canadian average. The growth of this cluster has been very healthy.
Global outlook
In the long term, the global outlook for tourism is excellent with an expected tripling of tourists by 2020 and growth to a US$10 trillion industry, employing 328 million people by 2010.
In the short term, Calgary's tourism industry is likely to be substantially hurt by the decline in air travel and in tourism in general. In the longer term, the region has significant assets to leverage and grow. Its brand "Heart of the New West", builds on Western assets (Calgary Stampede, Canadian Country Music Awards, Drumheller, Calgary Zoo), the mountains, and historical assets such as Glenbow Museum with its First Nations artifacts and Heritage Park.
Other assets on which to build are its sports centres and its metropolitan characteristics of a business centre, a diverse and culturally attractive region, and science attractions such as the Calgary Science Centre, and film production.
As governments and nations in partnership with industry take steps to secure travel and alleviate customers' fears, tourism will rebound and will drive tremendous job and income growth.
Canada's tourism has been strong with Canada being the 9th most visited country, accounting for 2.9% of all international travelers. Canada's average annual growth in tourism receipts was 6.6%, substantially higher than the world growth rate of 2.9%. Alberta has a small share of Canada's total international tourism. Tourism from outside of Alberta has been fairly constant since 1996. Intra-provincial tourism is growing and has increased approximately 12% since 1996.
Challenges
The Calgary region captures a substantial share of total tourism in Alberta, accounting for nearly one-quarter of all total overnight stays in Alberta in 1999. However, the Calgary region is not increasing its share of the tourism market, and there are indications it may be slightly declining. Total overnight stays declined in 1999 and the attendance at The Calgary Stampede, one of Calgary's biggest attractions, declined in 2001.
In the short term, due to the recent events in the United States and the resulting curtailment of air travel, the tourism industry will confront significant challenges, and may result in a reduction of tourists, shift in type of tourism activities, shift in mode of travel, and shift in destinations.
Some challenges facing the tourism cluster are:
- Insuffficient capital for marketing and promotion
- Limited attractions
- Weak linkages between sectors of the cluster.
If the Calgary region confronts and collaboratively addresses these challenges, the tourism cluster can expand the range of its clientle, increase the overnight stays and average spending. |
