NATIONAL TOURISM WEEK -

JOIN US FOR AN INDUSTRY CELEBRATION ON APRIL 23!

You're Invited!

Please join the Board & Staff of Tourism Fernie for a

TOURISM INDUSTRY SOCIAL

to celebrate National Tourism Week!

Local Industry Updates • Networking

Complimentary Beverage & Appies

The Fernie Taphouse, 691 1^st Ave

4 - 6:30 pm, Thursday, April 23rd, 2026

All welcome, max. 4 per business/organisation

REGISTRATION REQUIRED: Please register online by April 20th

TOURISM FERNIE 2026 AGM REPORT & BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Over 100 people attended the official 2025 Tourism Fernie Annual General Meeting & Industry Event on March 31st.

Held at Bayleaf Indian Fusion Restaurant, the event included an official welcomes and opening remarks from Mayor Nic Milligan, Tourism Fernie Chair Reto Barrington,

Following the welcome announcements, the Annual Report was presented by Tourism Fernie's management team: Christine Grimble, Brona Kekenakova, Corien Sieders & Jikke Gyorki.

The Official Business of the AGM included an overview of the financials by Reto Barrington and the presentation of the 2026-2027 Tourism Fernie Board of Directors:

MRDT Accommodator Seats (5):

Jeremiah Pauw – Fernie Fox Hotel
Jon Ward – Red Tree Lodge
Reto Barrington – Fernie RV Resort
Veronique Roy – Snow Valley Lodging & Annex House
VACANT

Non- Accommodator/Member-at-Large Seats (4):

Alan D Young – Personal Real Estate Corporation
Juliana Bower – Bower Builders
Soranne Florea – Island Lake Lodge Catskiing - Summer Activities & F&B
Victoria Flemming – The Pub & Bistro at Park Place Lodge

Keynote presentations followed the official business:

Tim Reid - Orange Crow Leadership & David Wittman - GGA Architecture
Tim & David outlined the Sport Tourism Assessment Report and talked about opportunities and challenges that Fernie faces for the future
Ted Morton - All Mountain Consulting & Project Management
Ted reviewed his consultation work for the Fernie & Elk Valley Regional Trails Strategy & Framework

With additional industry updates provided by:

Brad Parsell, CEO - Kootenay Rockies Tourism
Amy Thompson - Basecamp Resorts - Everwild Fernie
Andrew Cockburn - The Royal Hotel
And by Reto Barrington, Chair of the Tourism Fernie Board of Directors

Read Full AGM Report

TOURISM FERNIE AGM VIDEO

Watch the recording of the AGM below. The video is broken into segments to make it easier to find the various sections and speakers:

Part 1: Welcome and Introduction

1:10: Opening Remarks - Mayor Milligan, City of Fernie

6:55: Tourism Fernie Staff Presentations

1:01:17: Tourism Fernie Annual General Meeting

1:22:33: Keynote Presentation - Sport Tourism - Tim Reid (Orange Crow Leadership) &

David Wittman (GGA Architecture)

2:16:42: Keynote Presentation - Fernie & Elk Valley Regional Trails Strategy - Ted Morton (All Mountain Consulting & Project Management)

2:37:18: Regional Updat: Brad Parsell, CEO of Kootenay Rockies Tourism

2:53:46: Basecamp Resorts - Development Update

3:06:25: The Royal Hotel - Development Update

3:12:00: Special Local Business Announcements & Recognitions

NATIONAL TOURISM WEEK

National Tourism Week is a coordinated advocacy week led by the Tourism Industry Association of Canada. The social media campaign aims to raise awareness of tourism’s economic and cultural value in Canada and advocate for its prioritization.

By participating, you help ensure Canadians, visitors, and all levels of Canadian government recognize the power of tourism as:

a major economic driver,
a source of community vitality across the country,
a connector through meetings, events, sport tourism, and business travel,
an export sector that brings international spending into Canada,
a contributor to unity, shared identity, pride, and culture (especially Indigenous-led tourism), and
a reason for Canadians to support Canadian communities through the Travel in Canada Pledge (Thursday).

KOOTENAY ROCKIES TOURISM AGM & TOURISM SUMMIT

The KRT Annual Tourism Summit & AGM is coming to Fernie!

The Kootenay Tourism Summit will kick off on the afternoon of October 27 with Annual General Meeting business, followed by a full Agenda featuring a range of speaker sessions, panels & discussions and presentations from industry leaders.

OCTOBER 27 - 28, 2026
Best Western Fernie Mountain Lodge

Tuesday evening will include a social gathering and dinner, offering plenty of opportunities to connect and network. The Conference will commence early on Wednesday with additional informative sessions throughout the day including a keynote speaker over lunch.

TOURISM FERNIE STAFF DIRECTORY

Have a question or update? Let us know!

From left to right:

Corien Sieders, Destination Management & Development Manager | corien@tourismfernie.com

Kate Wienburg, Social Media Content Co-ordinator | kate@tourismfernie.com

Christine Grimble, Media/Travel Trade & Projects Manager | christine@tourismfernie.com

Rebecca Hall, Admin & Marketing Co-ordinator | rebecca@tourismfernie.com

Jikke Gyorki, Executive Officer | jikke@tourismfernie.com

Brona Kekenakova, Marketing Manager | brona@tourismfernie.com

We gratefully acknowledge that we do our business on the homelands of the

Ktunaxa Nation, Qukin ʔAmakʔis, and we honor and respect their ancestors of the past.

The Official Corporate E-Newsletter for Tourism Fernie Society. Supporting the tourism sector through marketing and destination management initiatives.

Phone: 1-250-423-2037

Connect With Us

TourismFernie.com | Ferniestoke.com