Page 
Amanda Stephenson the Canadian Badlands.”
astephenson@medicinehatnews.com
Amos says the organization has already received

government funding to hire two “tourism
A new marketing strategy aims to turn the
cluster facilitators.” These individuals will be
Canadian Badlands region into a major
working with existing tourism operators — bed
recognizable tourism brand.
and breakfast owners, for example — to come up
Created two years ago, Canadian Badlands Ltd.
with a collaborative marketing strategy. Already,
is an organization representing 58 municipalities
Canadian Badlands Ltd. has 2,000 pictures of the
in southeast Alberta. In November 2008, the
region in a photo gallery that local businesses are
organization unveiled its tourism development
welcome to use to promote the area. Canadian
strategy, which identified Medicine Hat — along
Badlands Ltd. also plans to apply to the Rural
with Lethbridge, Red Deer, and Drumheller —
Alberta Development Fund in hopes of being
as one of the focal points of the region.
able to provide specific programs that individual
operators can tap into to help with their growth
“Certainly Medicine Hat is one of the prime
and development goals.
hubs we’re going to be focused on in the next 20
years,” says Cindy Amos, executive director of
Eventually, Canadian Badlands Ltd. hopes to
Canadian Badlands Ltd.
attract investors willing to develop boutique
hotels, conference centres, and more in the
Amos says most tourists feel
region. While some of these goals may take time
most comfortable staying in
to bring into reality, Amos is proud of what the
communities where a choice
organization has already accomplished.
of amenities are available.
The idea behind the Canadian
“We’re only two years old and look what we’ve
Badlands tourism strategy is
done,” she says. “We’re only on the precipice of
that visitors will stay in a place like
creating awareness and interest in the region.”
Medicine Hat, and from there head out to
Barry Finkelman, executive director of the
other regional attractions such as Cypress Hills
Historic Clay District, says for too long tourists
Interprovincial Park and Writing-On-Stone
coming to Alberta have headed straight for
Provincial Park. Medicine Hat’s Historic Clay
the Rockies and neglected the province’s other
District was also identified in the strategy of one
attractions.
of the region’s major attractors.
“From our perspective, Canadian Badlands Ltd.
Amos says the idea of the Canadian Badlands
is a very dramatic development in the Alberta
strategy is to promote the region as a whole, and
tourism approach,” Finkelman says. “The fact
to encourage visitors who stop at one attraction
that the Badlands are being marketed as a
to continue on to another.
specific region should bring a significant number
“One of the first issues is signage,” Amos says.
of North American and international tourists to
“We need people to know they’re entering into
the area to look at something else.”
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