W EDNESDAY, J UNE 29, 2011 How Francophone tourism adds value and contributes to Alberta’s economic development F RANCOPHONE T OURISM Strengthening our Communities, Building a Stronger Alberta

C ONTEXT  French first European language spoken in Alberta  Many first settlers were of French origin  Today, three municipalities are officially bilingual: Beaumont, Legal and Falher  Francophones in Alberta  Approximately 68,000 Francophones  Albertans who speak French: over 225,000  French ethnic origin: 332,000  French adds value, Francophones add value

W HO WE ARE  Not-for-profit  Established in 1997  2 main funders:  Western Economic Diversification Canada  Human Resources and Skills Development Canada  3 offices: Edmonton, Calgary and Bonnyville  9 employees

W HAT WE DO Areas of focus  Small Business Assistance  Mentorship  Cooperatives  Human Capital Development  Canadian Francophone Economic Space  Economic Immigration  Green Industry  Tourism

P ARTNERSHIPS  Centralta Tourism Society  French-Canadian Association of Alberta (ACFA’s)  Edmonton Regional Tourism Group (ERTG)  Travel Alberta  Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation  Tourism Calgary  Business Link  Community Futures  Employment: accès emploi /Connexion-Carrières

T OURISM Alberta’s French Tourism and Travel Guide  40,000 copies  Excellent distribution and pick-up  Uniquely geared towards French-speaking tourists from Canada and Europe

T OURISM FAQ In partnership with Travel Alberta, we provided content for 12,500 magazines to travel agencies and tour operators in France. This publication allows travel agents to answer the 15 most frequently asked questions about what it’s like to travel to Alberta on vacation or business.

W HAT WE DO The CDÉA supports initiatives that promote the added value of bilingualism and the development of Francophone tourism products and services.

H OW WE DO IT  Develop tourism strategies that build on the added value of the French language and develop original tourist products  Collaborate with regional and provincial tourist organizations in order to create bilingual projects and raise their profile  Promote and support Francophone and French service tourism operators  Introduce French-speaking Alberta to Canada and the rest of the world

W HY WE DO IT  Because there is an economic benefit to be derived from offering tourism products and services in French  Because Alberta has a unique opportunity to promote Francophone attractions and exceed people’s expectations by serving them in French  Because the bilingual labour force is already present in Alberta

S USTAINABILITY  Themed Tourism product Gap Analysis for Northeast Alberta  Recreationnal activities and nature, region has a French history and culture to showcase  Commitment between Alberta Tourism Parks & Recreation, Lakeland’s DMO and CDÉA  Development of Francophone Cluster Initiative = Sustainability in our future!

H ISTORICAL TOURS

Statistics Source: Statistics Canada, Tourism and the Centre for Education Statistics. Last modified:  In 2009, France ranked 3 rd as the country with the largest amount of trips made by travellers to Canada  They spent over $513 million in Canada that year (Statistics Canada 2009);  Over $10 million of which was spent in Alberta

J ULIE F AFARD, T OURISM D EVELOPMENT O FFICER