Welcome Tourism Industry Partners

Tourism Industry Partnership Program

Local businesses are a big part of developing high quality visitor experiences that attract and support our tourism economy in Sylvan Lake. Sylvan Lake is brilliant all year, and has so much to share with visitors throughout the seasons. Thank you for partnering with us as we work collectively to develop our community as a vibrant Alberta travel destination!

Scroll below to access Program resources and information that aim to assist your business in finding opportunity, raising its profile, and growing within the sector.

Program FAQ

What is Visit Sylvan Lake?

Visit Sylvan Lake is the visitor services umbrella through which visitor information and destination marketing for Sylvan Lake are delivered. This includes the visitsylvanlake.ca website and social media @visitsylvanlake

Visit Sylvan Lake is operated by the Town of Sylvan Lake. Tag your social media photos with @visitsylvanlake or #visitsylvanlake for the chance to be featured on our social media and increase your business' likelihood of being found by visitors!

Latest Destination News

This section is updated every few weeks as new news comes up. Stay updated by checking back often!

September

Summer Send-OffDetails and Schedule >
Summer Send-OffDetails and Schedule >
CulinART!Details and Schedule >
Flannel & FeastDetails and Schedule >
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Flannel friends

November

Light Up the LakeDetails and Schedule >
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3 WAYS TO BE

INVOLVED IN EVENTS

1. Be involved in a Town of Sylvan Lake event

Many Town of Sylvan Lake events have opportunities for businesses to be involved as part of activities, as hosts for activities, or as sponsors. Check out the Business Involvement Opportunities section for a full list!

2. Piggy-back and host a complementary activity

Piggy-back off an existing Town of Sylvan Lake event to host a complementary activity in your business that suits the event theme.

3. Host your own event anytime!

Hosting a concert, Christmas season sip-n-shop, paint night, or pub crawl? Let us know and we'll add it to the Visit Sylvan Lake events calendar to help visitors find your event! Submit your experience to our events calendar here
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What is the impact of tourism in Sylvan Lake?

$75 Milion

$0Million

In 2014, the total economic impact of tourism in Sylvan Lake was nearly $75 million.

600 Jobs

0 Jobs

Tourism created 600 jobs in the community which hosted over 761,000 visitors throughout the year spending an average of $35.17 per person per day.

Read more from the 2014 Economic Impact Assessment of Tourism

Business Involvement Opportunities

Be involved in Town of Sylvan Lake tourism initiatives! See a full listing of ways to be directly involved below and find the opportunities that best fit with what your business has to offer and can benefit from. Some opportunities have limited capacity, so check back often!

Collaborative Marketing Opportunities

Opportunities to collaborate with the Town of Sylvan Lake on marketing campaigns and initiatives are a great way for your business to leverage and find mutual benefit in ongoing campaigns. Visit Sylvan Lake regularly runs seasonal campaigns, hosts giveaways, and brings in influencers. Opportunities to be involved in these initiatives will be posted here!

What is collaborative marketing?

Your business gets more bang for its buck with collaborative marketing than going solo.

Collaborative marketing is when like-minded businesses come together to their mutual benefit to share resources and gain greater brand exposure.

Collaborative businesses can leverage each other's audiences to both experience marketing growth. Here's a couple easy ways to get started:

1. Show appreciation: give a shout-out to another business or  tag other businesses that are featured in your social media posts

2. Share, share, share - share posts from other businesses that may be relevant to your audience. Especially if your business has been tagged in a post!

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Share your feedback

Quarterly surveys are designed to give Sylvan Lake's tourism industry businesses the opportunity to regularly share feedback and ideas with the Town of Sylvan Lake. A regular survey also helps track changes over time and paints a picture of what businesses are seeing on the front lines of the visitor market. The Quarterly Surveys asks questions about:

  • The business environment and how it can be improved through infrastructure, policies, or programs
  • Notable trends in the visitor market
  • How Town of Sylvan Lake initiatives impacted your business
  • How your business is experiencing each quarter as compared to the previous year
  • Any suggestions businesses may have that can lend insight for fostering and enhancing industry development

 

Quartely Surveys

Every three months, Tourism Partners have the opportunity to provide feedback on various factors affecting the tourism industry in Sylvan Lake and their business. Your feedback is read and used to help understand how the tourism industry businesses are being affected, and identify needed opportunities for development.

Q1 2023 survey will be available in April

WHAT IS

VISIT SYLVAN LAKE?

What is Visit Sylvan Lake?

Visit Sylvan Lake is the tourism umbrella for the Town of Sylvan Lake and consists of three social media accounts and a website. Visit Sylvan Lake channels are operated by the Town of Sylvan Lake and handle destination marketing, visitor information, and promote tourism development.

2. Piggy-back and host a complimentary activity

Piggy-back off an existing Town of Sylvan Lake event to host a complementary activity in your business that complements the event theme.

What is the best way to be shared on Visit Sylvan Lake?

Visit Sylvan Lake is currently using a "user-generated content" strategy which means that most social media content on teh Visit Sylvan Lake platform is reshared from a person or a business who has tagged @visitsylvanlake or #visitsylvanlake

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Just for Tourism Partners


Book a FAM Tour

Are you a new business or want to share about something new you're doing?

Book a familiarization tour (FAM tour) to share with staff operating Visit Sylvan Lake. Help us know what's available to tourists and how best to share your experience.

FAM Tours are subject to Covid-19 and may take place online instead of in-person.

To book a FAM Tour, please email us. We're excited to hear from you!

Have a great idea?

Work together with other local businesses that are interested and can help bring your idea to life.

Use the Partner Directory to reach out to others who can be a part of your initiative

 

Update your Business Listing

Tell the story of the experience your business offers visitors with an updated listing on visitsylvanlake.ca

Tourism Partners are in full control of their business listing information on visitsylvanlake.ca and are responsible for checking and updating their business listing regularly.

Tourism Sector Resources

Webinars and Training Programs 

Webinars and in-person trainings. Attend those that are most likely to assist with your business!

Tourism Entrepreneurship and Startups

Starting a new tourism business? Find planning resources specific to the tourism sector.


Your Business on Google

Google is the primary search engine for visitors. Make sure customers can find your business on Google! Google also hosts an assortment of business management tools and analytics.

Social Media Marketing

Social media is a way to increase your business' online presence and interact with your customers. Show them what you do and how you do it, and create a desire to visit your business for a unique experience only you can provide!


Which Visitors are your Customers?

Your customers are unique! The experience offered by your business may appeal to a specific traveler type which can be targeted through marketing messages and the product or service your business develops.

Sylvan Lake's Visitor and Research Resources

Starting a new tourism business? Find planning resources specific to the tourism sector.


Experience Development

Tourism is all about experiences. People travel to Sylvan Lake to experience activities they can't do anywhere else, learn about our unique way of life, and take in the surroundings that make Sylvan Lake special and different.

Creating high quality visitor experiences that connect authentically to the destination of Sylvan Lake takes place through Experience Development. 

Providing great visitor experiences ensures that your business' experience is a must-do for travelers and on their Sylvan Lake bucket list!

Visitor's Map

A visitor's map shows tourists where they are welcome and wanted, where they can access both public and private services, and locates businesses that offer goods and services that enhance visitor experiences. Tourism Partners are added to our online visitor's map! The map uses a unique "story map" platform combining imagery and text details.


Find your way

VISITOR MAP

Have questions?

The Tourism Industry Partnership Program is delivered by the Recreation, Culture & Tourism department of the Town of Sylvan Lake. For questions or further information on the Program or Visit Sylvan Lake, contact:

Natasha Bhola
Tourism Marketing & Development Coordinator
Town of Sylvan Lake
403-887-1192 ext 527 or email