The Swift Current & District Chamber of Commerce welcomed a friendly face from out west last night.

Jace Anderson, executive director of Tourism Medicine Hat, attended the latest Chamber on Tap at the Swift Current Curling Club as a guest speaker. He shared his insights into growing a rural community through tourism, and how that can be applied to Swift Current. 

Specifically, he was able to highlight how when targetting certain specific individuals, it can be beneficial to work alongside local businesses to draw them into the community. 

"I'm really pleased about in that process is that it fundamentally challenges how we approach the messaging and the communication and the strategy behind what we're trying to accomplish and who we want to be paying attention to," said Anderson.

By working on going after those already considering moving to a community, the local tourism board is encouraging not only a trip to town to consider it for a possible vacation, but also giving them the chance to see the incentives of relocating permanently. 

"So it's not designed to serve everybody," said Anderson. "But it's absolutely designed to serve two key segments of our community."

Those two segments are the direct relocators and the HR recruiter. Small business owners that are looking to hire somebody to come into the community. These two groups are the coal in the furnace of the engine Anderson has been driving with his tourism campaign. With it, he has seen great mileage. 

"We've gotten wonderful feedback from the partners that we were looking to serve and we've continued to see the opportunity to fund the next steps and marketing initiatives that drive the use of the content and the material," said Anderson. 

Anyone who missed Anderson last night has a chance to see why as a local business this program could work for them today at the 49 x 110 Conference at the Living Sky Casino.