Tourism Moose Jaw Opens New Ambassador Booth
Nick Murray
On Thursday May the 10th, during a windswept afternoon, Tourism Moose Jaw officially launched their brand new and wonderfully improved Tourist Information Ambassador Booth.
Kaitlyn Aparicio and Jacki L'Heureux-Mason with Wendell Gillert and Nick Pettigrew, from Home Building Centre (who donated the building)
As per usual, the booth will be situated on the corner of River St. W and Main St. N, in front of the now defunct Chocolate Moose building and kiddie-corner to Brown's Social House.
Manning (womanning) the booth this year will be returning Tourist Ambassador, Kaitlyn Aparicio and two other young ladies.
The goal for Kaitlyn is to make "the experience for visitors that much more amazing" she said.
Kaitlyn is "passionate about Moose Jaw, and will provide an incredible customer experience for those wanting accurate and comprehensive information about all that there is to do and see in our exciting city" said Jacki L'Heureux-Mason, Executive Director at Tourism Moose Jaw.
The new booths were donated and delivered by Home Building Centre.
"We really want to extol the virtues of what is happening in Moose Jaw, primarily in the downtown area" Jacki said. "We want to show that this city is more than just the Tunnels, the Spa and the Casino; and I say that with utmost respect for the Tunnels, the Spa and the Casino because those are the big three here, but we want to show that Moose Jaw isn't just a two or three hour stop; it's a three day destination".
When questioned about whether or not that was true, Jacki said "try me."
Jacki and Kaitlyn are keen on connecting with tourists who will, in turn, spend their money in the city. If they can meet with visitors in the streets they can then convince them to check out other parts of the city and stay longer
"If we can get them to go to Wakamow, that's three hours, then think of all the restaurants we can recommend."
You see how it works. It's pretty simple math. The longer people stay, the more money they spend. A quick stop at the casino turns into an afternoon hike which then turns into supper in a downtown establishment, which could then turn into a late-night trolley tour, then an evening cocktail, then a hotel room, which could then turn into breakfast the next day. A short stop could easily impact a handful of local establishments.
Tourism is huge for any city and it's Tourism Moose Jaw's goal to make the most of it here.
Kaitlyn will not only answer questions about fun spots in the city, she will also sell trolley tickets and act as a liason for members of Tourism Moose Jaw and the City. Tourism Moose Jaw is a membership-based non-profit.
"She will make sure our members have all the information they need and she also keeps an eye on the downtown area."
So, if something downtown gets ugly or messy (you know, like overflowing garbage cans), Kaitlyn can also act as a sort of branch between the problems and problem solvers.
You will also likely catch Kaitlyn doing occasional downtown walkabouts where she will engage visitors right on the street. That's just another method they are using to persuade visitors to stay longer.
Jacki also informed MJ Independent that Tourism Moose Jaw aims to have another Ambassador booth installed near the Tourism Moose Jaw Office at 450 Diefenbaker Dr.
"I know that most of the tourism is just people stopping at Mack the Moose, for a picture, before leaving again. If we could just have 15 seconds of their time, we can convince them to stay longer."