Greetings!

In this issue of the Calgary Insider, read about the mobile information team, upcoming events, leisure travel on the rise, a Tourism Calgary employee's En(tour)preneurship program and our featured Calgary White Hat Award winners,  Sushila Prahlad and Wendy Liu.
Tourism Calgary’s mobile
information team winds up the season with record referrals
Tourism Calgary's mobile information team had a record year offering itinerary planning and experience suggestions for travellers and Calgarians. The team counselled over 13,000 people and made over 48,000 industry referrals between May and August.

Although the mobile information team is officially finished for the season, they will be making a special appearance at Beakerhead over the next few days to offer attendees local tips about what to see and where to go.

See how these numbers compare to last year's here .
Upcoming events
Sept. 13 – 17 : Beakerhead starts today!
With over 60 events and programs to choose from, Beakerhead brings together arts, sciences, and engineering.

Sept. 23 : Doors Open YYC : Calgarians are invited to get a behind-the-scenes look at facilities, institutions and businesses around Calgary. Participating sites include the Calgary Stampede, Theatre Junction and the Calgary Food Bank.

Join us on World Tourism Day for a Tourism Talk and industry social. Cassandra McAuley, Director, Stakeholder Engagement & Destination Development will speak about the Destination Strategy and the goal of making Calgary the Ultimate Host City.

Oct. 6 – 7: Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra Disney in Concert – The Little Mermaid : Relive the magic of Disney’s timeless cartoon, The Little Mermaid, accompanied by the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra performing Alan Menken’s Academy Award winning score.

Oct. 12 : TELUS Spark Adults Only Night – Crime and Punishment : Unleash your inner investigator as you become a CSI and explore the psychology of criminal behaviour.

Leisure travel on the rise
Tourism Calgary’s heightened focus on attracting the leisure traveller has begun to show results.

We have seen an increase in the leisure travel market, as shown by a year-over-year increase in hotel rooms sold in the first two quarters of 2017. This is a promising development, given the dip in business travel following the economic downturn. Calgary has traditionally been more reliant on business travel than other urban centres – business travel accounts for nearly 25 per cent of overnight occupancy compared to a national average closer to 11 per cent.

Read the full story in Business in Calgary here .
Canadian en[tour]preneur experience
Seth Munoz from Tourism Calgary, was one of 50 participants selected from nearly 700 Canadian applicants to participate in a tourism and entrepreneurship experience in Ottawa.

"Industry leaders discussed the importance of connecting with government and tourism advocacy groups, like Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) , to further advance tourism's profile as an economic driver in Canada. They also discussed resources, like business planning, available to small tourism start-ups. After an intensive three-day conference, I left feeling like tourism in Canada is valued and supported by the federal government."

Read Seth's full story here .
Featured Calgary White Hat Award winners

We recognize Sushila Prahlad and Wendy Liu, Calgary White Hat Award winners, for creating memorable visitor experiences. Here are their stories:
Sushila Prahlad, Hyatt Regency Calgary
Doug Johnson Service Award

For nearly 30 years, Sushila has maintained an impeccably high standard for the rooms she cares for. She is known for her outstanding quality, commitment and patient guidance when training new members of the team. Her goal is to create a “wow” experience for her guests.
 
When one guest couldn’t get out of bed due to a bad flu, Sushila looked after him. He was very appreciative and made sure management knew about the next-level service he’d received.

Congratulations, Sushila! Your extraordinary commitment to service, your genuine western hospitality, and your personal attention to guests have not gone unnoticed. We tip our White Hat to you. 
Category sponsor:
Wendy Liu, Hyatt Regency Calgary
Exceptional Service: Concierge

Wendy is part detective, part customer service expert. As a concierge with an eye for detail and an awareness of what makes people happy, she delivers great experiences. When a guest was celebrating a special birthday in the hotel, Wendy handcrafted a card and had it signed by the hotel staff. She placed the card in the room, along with desserts, bubbly and pictures of the guest’s grandchildren. This was a “wow” moment not soon forgotten by that happy guest. Congratulations, Wendy, for rolling out the red carpet with your White Hat service. 
Category sponsor: 
Enhance your marketing material by using vibrant photos that showcase Calgary.
Access Tourism Calgary’s digital media library here .

See offer details, industry news, job postings and event information at:
Add this email address to your address book and never miss an edition of the Calgary Insider.