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A Decade of Excellence
Join us Tuesday August 11, 2009 at RedTail Landing Golf Club for the 10th Annual Edmonton Tourism Golf Classic in celebration of the upcoming 10th You’re Welcome Edmonton.
Golfing: Registration will be available online here.
The registration fee is $150.00 for partners and $200.00 for non-partners. The fee includes golf, cart, dinner and prizes. Those who register and pay before July 10, 2009 will be eligible to win a 13-piece package set of Men's A30S Adams Golf Clubs. Sponsored by the Edmonton Marriott at River Cree Resort.
If you have any questions about registration or want to discuss sponsorship and/or prize opportunities, please contact Katherine Florence at 780-917-7651 or kflorence@edmonton.com
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For more information on Industry Partner events contact Katherine Florence at Edmonton Tourism at (780) 917-7651 or kflorence@edmonton.com. Her fax number is (780) 425-5283.
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One Voice Contest
This issue the question is...
Can you name the 4 other Canadian cities that are using MeetingsEasy?
Click here to submit your answer for a chance to win one of two great prizes!
Ski Package for two
Includes two nights at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge
Two days skiing Marmot Basin
and Maligne Canyon Icewalk for two with Jasper Adventure Centre
Ski Package for two
Includes two nights at the Best Western Jasper Inn & Suites
Two days skiing at Marmot Basin
and Maligne Canyon Icewalk for two with Overlander Trekking and Tours
The draw will be held at the ECRTP's Annual General Meeting in 2010. Thank you to Jasper Tourism & Commerce and its partners for their support of this contest.
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Our Featured Partner...
Direct Digital Imaging, under the managing direction of Lynn Schroter & Bill Bauer, was founded on the basic principle of providing the very best work at a decent price... read more |
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Cover Story
CHINA: INVESTING IN THE FUTURE |
Ken Fiske, Vice President Economic & Tourism Development, has just returned from a productive trip to China. The trip was the culmination of efforts made in the last 3 years to lay the foundation for tourism to Edmonton once Canada has obtained Approved Destination Status (ADS). Memorandums of Understanding were signed with 3 Chinese cities: Harbin the capital of Heilongjiang province in Northeast China, Chengdu the capital of Sichuan province in Southwest China, and Jinan the capital of Shandong province in Central China. These cities were chosen based on existing business relationships that have been established with Edmonton and Alberta.
There are currently over 137 countries with Approved Destination Status with China, including the United States, Australia, most of Asia, and the European Union. The latest country to be granted ADS is North Korea. Gaining ADS from China would allow Chinese citizens to more easily obtain tourist visas to travel to Canada for leisure purposes, and would allow Canada to actively market its tourism products in China. In addition Chinese tour groups are only allowed to travel to countries which have been granted ADS by China. Ken Fiske has stated that "the failure to obtain ADS is an embarrassment for Canada and is hindering the growth of Canadian tourism in China." The Tourism Industry Association of Canada maintains that there is an emerging middle class in China that is increasingly looking to spend its disposable income on travel and tourism, and Canada has a tremendous opportunity to attract a significant flow of visitors from China. This assessment is backed up by the World Tourism Organization which projects that China will become the top tourism destination in the world and the fourth largest source of outbound tourism with an estimated 100 million outbound travelers by 2020. These two projections make it increasingly urgent for the Canadian government to secure Approved Destination Status.
"We don't want to wait. It is crucial that we build the relationships now." stated Ken Fiske. The Memorandums of Understanding are the beginning foundations of these relationships. The Memorandums of Understanding state that the respective tourism organizations will:
- Encourage and publicize existing exchanges between the 2 cities so that they can broaden the mutual understanding of both regions;
- Support and encourage visits by citizens of both regions;
- Promote cultural exchange in the fields of tourism by working with local tourism administrations;
- Develop a mutual understanding of the citizens of both regions by exchanging various information and material;
- Support and promote the development of tourism programs to encourage both regions’ citizens to share their experiences as a medium for learning from one another;
- Identifying themes, common to both, that can generate new initiatives to further and nurture the increasing cultural, social and financial relationships between the regions.
With these Memorandums of Understanding in place, industry partners may be able to become involved in future trade missions and trade shows to further develop the relationships between Edmonton and cities of Harbin, Chengdu and Jinan. Displays for the visitor information centres will be developed to showcase information on the respective cities. According to Ken Fiske these moves mean that “Edmonton will not be starting from scratch when Canada obtains ADS and that Edmonton can quickly enter the China market once that happens.”
For more information, please contact Natacha Fudem at nfudem@edmonton.com or (780) 917- 7621.
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