Several factors inform the need and timeliness for this project, including considerable growth in recent years, planned re-development of significant properties in the Beaver Valley, and infrastructure and space constraints. These factors require action to mitigate negative visitor impacts and resident conflicts.
The project involves four phases.
- Phase 1: Project Initiation, Management, and Communications (Q1 2023)
- Phase 2: Research and Engagement Planning (Q1 2023)
- Phase 3: Market Research and Landscape Assessment (Q2 2023)
- Phase 4: Strategy Development and Implementation Planning (Q3 2023)
Several categories of stakeholders will be engaged across the project. This includes, but is not limited to, visitor-facing businesses, residents from rural areas across the corridor, community groups, and tourism organizations and partners active in the area.
Work is expected to be completed by the end of 2023.
Phase 3: Market Research and Landscape Assessment
This project has taken a stakeholder-driven and community-based participatory research approach using a variety of research methods. To date, we have:
- Reviewed key documents to provide background and context.
- Conducted a tourism community survey with responses from over 250 tourism stakeholders, including tourism business owners and operators, residents, tourism organizations, and community groups.
- Conducted telephone and virtual interviews with tourism and community leaders.
- Hosted two (2) in-person and one (1) virtual industry table talks with local business owners and operators.
- Completed a tourism asset scan through the review of visitor-facing organizational websites.
- Conducted good practice and trends research on three (3) places similar to Beaver Valley to learn about their approach to tourism and lessons learned.
- Hosted a future tourism exploration session with representatives from government bodies and agencies, community development organizations, and community groups.
