2020 Annual Report

It was business as usual for most of the first quarter of 2020 as Tourism Calgary continued to champion Calgary’s stakeholder-led and endorsed Destination Strategy and grow our reputation as the Ultimate Host City. Here's what Tourism Calgary accomplished throughout the quarter:

• Supported 17 sport, cultural and major events that generated $15 million in economic impact, attracted 37,000+ attendees and added to the city's vibrancy through participation opportunities and legacies.
• Hosted 3,485 delegates at 8 meetings and conventions that generated $7 million in economic impact.
• Leveraged regional, national and international marketing campaigns to drive high-intent travellers to visit Calgary, exemplified by a 30 per cent increase in sessions on visitcalgary.com and a 67 per cent increase in social media engagements year-over-year.
• Interviewed and recognized 715 White Hat Award nominees for their commitment to creating memorable experiences for visitors and Calgarians, while identifying potential winners.
• Hosted the annual open house at Contemporary Calgary where 325 partners and stakeholders experienced one of our city's newest attractions and enjoyed a selection of local food and beverage offerings.

• Inspired 24 industry partners to develop new and export-ready tourism products in partnership with Travel Alberta as part of the SHiFT tourism experience and product development program.
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Amidst this work, Tourism Calgary actively monitored COVID-19 developments and worked closely with Calgary Emergency Management Agency, YYC Calgary International Airport, Calgary Hotel Association and others to share information about the evolving global situation and to prepare for the arrival of the virus to our city. Alberta's first presumptive case was identified on March 5, 2020. Here's how Tourism Calgary prepared our industry partners to navigate the evolving situation:

• Hosted weekly online townhalls for partners that provided direct access to representatives from Calgary Emergency Management Agency and Alberta Health Services.
• Shared COVID-19 email updates as new information, supports and resources became available.
• Engaged partners through surveys to better understand our industry’s initial expectations and experiences related to the pandemic. Survey insights identified the critical need for timely and accurate information about the evolving situation, and access to business continuity resources.
• Shifted marketing and partner supports to help inform consumers about changes to partners’ business operations including closures and new virtual or contact-free offerings.
• Halted international marketing campaigns and refocused efforts on hyper-local audiences.

By the second quarter of 2020, the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Calgary’s critical tourism industry was abundantly clear. Tourism Calgary developed and began implementing the COVID-19 Response and Recovery plan early in the quarter, which focused efforts on driving business sustainability and community safety.

In activating the plan’s response phase, Tourism Calgary quickly pivoted efforts to align with health and safety measures, and to support our stakeholders as they innovated and adapted operations.

• Launched the That’s the Spirit brand platform to drive hyper-local awareness, business and support for industry partners. While partner referrals and engagements on social media and visitcalgary.com were noticeably lower through the quarter due to restrictions, the brand platform and newly launched #LoveYYC from Home program helped 18,000+ Calgarians learn about our partners’ virtual and contact-free offerings.
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• Announced temporary partnership fee relief to support our industry’s response and recovery efforts. This prompted a program evaluation to ensure partnership offerings continue to provide value in the changing environment.
• Re-booked 49 per cent of the 37 sport, cultural and major events Calgary was scheduled to host through the rest of 2020, which were projected to generate over $61 million in economic impact for our city.
• Deferred 45 per cent of the 60 meetings and conventions Calgary was set to host between Q2 and Q4 2020.

• Highlighted the resilience and importance of Calgary’s tourism industry during Tourism Week, with 30 attractions, landmarks and hotels joining the celebration as captured in the Chapter of Hope video.
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Emerging from a quarter marked by lockdowns and restrictions that fundamentally changed many businesses in Calgary’s tourism industry, the third quarter brought tempered optimism. As case numbers lowered, the Government of Alberta launched a phased reopening strategy that permitted some businesses to reopen. Despite this, most of Calgary’s tourism industry remained deeply impacted by restrictions including our partners at Calgary Stampede who were faced with the difficult decision to cancel the iconic and economically significant event for the first time in its 108-year history.

In responding to the needs of our industry, Tourism Calgary moved into the recovery phase of its COVID-19 Response and Recovery plan.

• Incentivized Calgarians to explore their city and support local through launching the #LoveYYC Deals Pass pilot program. 11,100 users registered from August through Dec. 2020 and accessed offers from 81 partners.
• Advocated on behalf of our industry for a CEWS extension, a direct-to-tenant rent subsidy and dedicated supports for the tourism sector to all orders of government in collaboration with Travel Alberta, Destination Canada, TIAC and TIAA.
• Ramped up and toned down destination promotion efforts in regional markets under the That’s the Spirit brand umbrella in alignment with provincial restrictions and consumer sentiment toward travel. Referrals to industry partners and website sessions tripled over the previous quarter, boosted by programs like the new Calgary Curated consumer newsletter that attracted almost 16,900 subscribers between Sept. and Dec. 2020.
• Joined The City of Calgary and 55 other organizations in announcing Chinook Blast; Calgary’s Midwinter Roundup - an annual event intended to foster excitement, energy, activity and an economic injection during a needs period for our city.
• Launched a new meetings and conventions section on visitcalgary.com to highlight our city's competitive advantages and inspire planners to choose Calgary as their next event destination.
• Developed safe hosting guidelines alongside event rights holders and all orders of government to prepare for the return of in-person meetings, conventions and events to Calgary.
• Celebrated a milestone for the award-winning White Hat Academy online learning platform, with 1,000 graduates earning their Ultimate Host certification and becoming better ambassadors and storytellers for our city.
• Launched the Ask a Local Expert online chat service on visitcalgary.com and Tourism Calgary's Facebook channel to advise regional visitors and those planning a trip to Calgary about things to see-and-do.

• Reimagined the traditional Calgary White Hat Awards Gala into a series of safe, in-person presentations where 20 winners were surprised with a coveted Smithbilt White Hat.
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The final quarter of 2020 was full of ups and downs with cooler temperatures coinciding with a rise in case numbers that forced the re-introduction of restrictions. While many businesses had become proficient in pivoting to virtual and contact-free offerings, impacts to our industry were compounded by missed revenues typically generated throughout the busy summer months.

On a more positive note, vaccine distribution kicked off in the quarter and YYC Calgary International Airport became the first Canadian airport to trial the International Border Pilot Project. This marked an important step toward the safe return of air travel as science-based, data-driven COVID-19 testing was used to enable international travellers returning to Alberta to quarantine for less time.

Still operating within the recovery phase of its COVID-19 response and recovery plan, Tourism Calgary advocated and drove business for our industry.

• Actively bid on and attracted bubble-format sporting events, resulting in Calgary being selected as the host city for Curling Canada’s 2021 event bubble anticipated to generate more than $13 million in economic impact over a four-month period.
• Advocated alongside TIAC for the immediate roll out of the Highly Affected Sectors Credit Availability Program to support our industry in overcoming barriers caused by COVID-19.
• Adapted marketing efforts under the That’s the Spirit brand platform in response to new restrictions and drove demand for online and contact-free experiences through 81,000+ digital partner referrals and 545,000+ sessions on visitcalgary.com.
• Hosted #LoveYYC Month – an extended virtual celebration that inspired community spirit and drove business for industry partners in November. Leveraged social media and worked with 14 Business Improvement Areas to drive nearly 5,000 digital partner referrals.
• Supported our partners at Calgary TELUS Convention Centre and the BMO Centre at Stampede Park by announcing both venues’ achievement in earning the Global Biorisk Advisory Council^® STAR^™ accreditation and highlighting their dedication to maintaining the highest-level of cleanliness to support the safe return of meeting and convention business.
• Hosted four Elevating Canadian Experiences workshops alongside TIAC and Travel Alberta to help participating partners identify culinary and shoulder season product and experience development opportunities.

• Participated in virtual travel trade marketplaces to continue growing awareness about Calgary’s compelling offerings among tour operators in international markets. These efforts identified pent-up demand for travel to Canada once borders open and vaccinations are wide-spread based on safety factors and the availability of wide open outdoor spaces.