Visitor information providers gain local tourism knowledge through interactive bus tour

LETHBRIDGE — Frontline workers in the hospitality and tourism industry took a tour around main attractions in Lethbridge to get a better understanding of local offerings.

"We know frontline workers are the first person that meets the visitor, whether that's at an attraction, at a hotel, at a restaurant, at a gas station even," said Dominika Wojcik, senior director of communications for Tourism Lethbridge.

"These people are sort of the first experience you will get as a visitor, so we want to ensure they are understanding of all of the things we have to offer in Lethbridge."

Between Tuesday and Wednesday, around 60 visitor information providers visited Nikka Yuko Japanese Gardens, CASA, the Southern Alberta Art Gallery, Galt Museum and Archives and the Helen Schuler Nature Centre.

"Those are our bigger attractions," Wojcik said.

"We do hope in the future we can expand the tour and showcase some other pieces of the city as well."

Those directly involved with visitors to the city hope having a chance to visit the tourist hot spots in person will allow them to deliver higher-quality service.

"Having the first-hand experience is way more valuable," said Payton Grindle, a summer ambassador with the Downtown BRZ.

"You're able to tell people exactly what it's like, how you feel and what all of the important aspects are."

While the tour is helpful to refresh those in the industry's knowledge, Wojcik says the end goal is to bring and encourage more tourists to visit the city.

"The more visitors we have, the better experiences they have and they're going to want to extend their stays, tell their friends and family and that's our main goal here," she said.

"It's to create a better experience, which ultimately leads to more economic impact for our city."