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HIGH RIVER, AB: The Town’s Visitor Information Centre (VIC) has won a Provincial award for its innovative services to travellers and businesses this summer. Staff at the High River VIC were recognized for their initiative and creativity in setting up a remote site in order to serve visitors in various locations during the 2014 season.
The 4th Annual Ammy awards were presented in Drumheller on Sept. 15 at the Province’s Alberta Visitor Information Providers (AVIP) Conference. These awards recognize Albertans who go the extra mile to help travellers at visitor information centres. Named for Alberta’s official gemstone, ammolite, Ammy awards honour VIC staff who exemplify the warmth and hospitality the province is known for through creative and professional approaches.
The Town’s remote VIC was utilized with great success at the Re-Boot High River concert, Canada Day celebrations, Artisan’s Market and the High River Regional Air Show.
“It was really necessary to have a VIC that could be transported to all the different events we had in town this year,” says Dayna Dickens, business and tourism development coordinator with the Town. “This way we had a presence at all the major tourist attractions and could help visitors navigate through the construction and rebuilding efforts happening in High River.”
The two staff extended their professional travel counselling services to a broader audience with almost no impact on overall budget. They served 48% of their summer visitors at remote locations and became an invaluable resource for travellers and community businesses.
“This award belongs to our VIC staff, Nicole Andre and Madeleine Meszaros, whose hard work helped raise the profile of the town’s tourism department,” added Dickens.
Award applications were submitted by organizations that manage Alberta’s more than 130 community, regional and provincial visitor information centres. Staff and managers were nominated by their peers for individual accolades.