Early in the implementation of a comprehensive five-year tourism strategy, the Cochrane Tourism Association (CTA) has obtained valuable input from residents.

Results of a spring survey have recently been released and the feedback, for the most part, has been positive. Ninety-three per cent of the 508 respondents see value in building the industry here and they also provided direction on the strengths to build upon.

"What we got from the information was very overwhelmingly positive," says CTA executive director Jo-Anne Oucharek. "We are being told the statistics are unheard of, so the 93 per cent who said yes, tourism is valuable is extremely positive. We have a group of people who are invested in tourism."

What makes the survey even more meaningful was the need for participants to respond in their own words, believes CTA executive director Jo-Anne Oucharek.

“It was a long answer survey, so for them to take the time to share their ideas and actually write out the information is awesome,” says Oucharek.

Exciting, too, was the demographic age participating. Nearly 50 per cent of those responding are 26 to 45 years old and with 38 being the average age of Cochrane residents it’s a relevant factor. The vast majority have also lived here 20 years or less, with over 20 per cent living here one to four years, and 90.57 per cent all participants live in Cochrane.

What the survey found was respondents view our town as a friendly, beautiful community with vast outdoor spaces to explore, events and festivals to enjoy, and a western feel that makes it unique.

Some highlights include:

- 93 per cent of respondents see value in building the tourism industry in Cochrane, mostly for reasons related to positive economic development

- the top three aspects respondents identified as important to promote were: outdoor spaces, 78 per cent; public events and festivals, 71 per cent; and Western heritage, 60 per cent.

- what makes Cochrane better or different than other places was described as being words “quaint”, “friendly” and “beautiful.” The words “Mountains,” “History,” Family Friendly,” “Outdoor Spaces” and “Western Heritage” were also commonly used.

Reasons to recommend Cochrane as a tourism destination was topped by location, followed again by our natural beauty, pathways, friendliness and events.

A wish list of activities, events and opportunities emerging from the survey were bike trails and parks, music festivals, culinary events, indoor activities for families and teens, river activities, an arts centre and a free splash park.

A Brand Development Working Group of 11 volunteers was selected from 74 applicants who put their names forward earlier this spring. They’ve proven to be dedicated volunteers who have been meeting regularly to review the results and provide their own input to help shape the brand.

Don’t confuse branding with a town logo or catchline--it’s not.

“It doesn’t mean a new town logo, it doesn’t mean we’re going to have a new tagline. It means what do we have in Cochrane that is unique, different and marketable,” explains Oucharek.

Combining this information with input obtained from the working group. businesses, tourism operators and the visitor’s centre, CTA is now preparing for the next step of taking these ideas and develop an action plan.

A tourism asset development workshop is being held on Sept. 25 to bring together organizations, businesses and individuals who would like to see these ideas become a reality. It’s estimated to be a three-hour session.

“It’s not to come and drop ideas on the table; it’s actually to physically come prepared to be involved in making this happen.”

Working together is the key to success, believes Oucharek and already CTA is continually creating new partnerships and has an eye on those that will continue to unfold in the future as further infrastructure, planning and marketing evolves.

“In order to make any of this happen, there has to be collaboration.”

“That’s the only way it will move forward. It has to be a win for business, it has to be a win for visitors and it has to be a win for ourselves. So if we’re all talking about what that win looks like. I think that’s how it’s going to be successful.”

Anyone who is interested in participating in the Sept. 25 workshop can contact Jo-Anne at cochranetourism@gmail.com.

The five-year tourism strategy launched on Mar. 1 was a collaborative effort of Cochrane Tourism and Cochrane Economic Development and it also took into consideration research completed with the assistance of Travel Alberta.

Objectives outlined include developing a Cochrane experience to make it a unique destination, provide guidance, resources and partnerships to enhance existing tourism products, attract and create new tourism products while maintaining and upgrading existing ones as well as enhancing the municipal infrastructure to better serve the Cochrane experience.