This appeared in the Interlake Enterprise…
by Teresa Carey
“People want to bring home experiences…People new to the area are looking for places to go,” says Heather Hinam, a specialist in a field called ‘experiential tourism’.
Hinam, who owns a company called Second Nature, Adventures in Discovery, was hired by Community Futures East Interlake (CFEI) in July to design and deliver a two part workshop on experiential tourism for the community of Fisher River, beginning later this August.
CFEI already had a working relationship with Fisher River, a First Nations community located 3 hrs. north of Winnipeg. Individuals there received prior training through CFEI, in areas of customer service, marketing and basic entrepreneurship.
When the Aboriginal Business Service Network (ABSN) had $5,000 grants available and sent out a call for proposals for capacity building projects for Aboriginal communities, Tammy Hudyma, General Manager of CFEI was quick to act on it. The community of Fisher River, and the hard work of the Ochekwi-Sipi Economic Development Corporation, came to mind.
Knowing the expertise of Hinam, Hudyma thought it was a perfect match.
“They’re (Fisher River) definitely somebody who could use the training…they invite so many people into their community, but they don’t charge. They are ready for the next step,” Hudyma said.
Fisher River’s Lee Cochrane Centre has established itself as a hub of activity which, among other things, coordinates activities like nature walks, meetings with elders and artisans, and sharing of cultural performances and hands-on cultural experiences.
“They’re already doing experiential tourism without realizing it,” Hinam said. “I’m super excited to be doing (the workshop)…It’s really a good community that is really welcoming. They have some awesome potential in terms of tourism.”
Part one of the workshop will explore the concept of what experiential tourism is, while part two, which will take place a month later, will be delivered to a smaller group of people who want to move forward on the ideas presented.
Topics during part two will include things like marketing, logistics, and pricing. Hinam will also guide participants in creating networks in the tourism industry.
In general, Hinam’s workshop are of benefit, not only to entrepreneurs, but to the community which may find new ways to grow some of their existing business.
The workshops can help a community identify the ways in which it is special and unique. They help to identify the “hidden gems” in terms the people who can offer genuine experiences to visitors.
“That person might not be your typical tourism person…It’s all about sharing stories in an authentic way,” Hinam emphasized.
The objective is to eventually bring groups of four, five or 10 people into the community who are willing to pay for a unique hands-on tourism experience. The only real drawback of the strategy is that tours occur “on-demand” and would not in themselves provide predictable, full-time income for entrepreneurs.
However, developing an experiential tourism component does help to create a different revenue stream, both Hudyma and Hinam agree. It also has positive spinoffs in terms of building community pride, and injects a little bit of money into the community. By adding an experiential tourism component a community’s visibility is increased, plus a network of communication between different communities is developed.
“It’s not a magic bullet in any way, shape or form,” Hinam said. “but it is a wonderful addition to an already thriving community, or it’s a way to boost a community that needs a push in a new direction.”
According to Hinam, experiential tourism does not have to be complicated, it just has to be experiential. It can be as simple as a hands-on song-writing workshop, or something like the Round Dance which Fisher River has shared previously with its guests. Furthermore, it can be done in any context.
“Really good tourism work has the same tenets–helping people explore, helping build communities in new ways–moving communities forward in a new direction,” Hinam said.
She hopes that over time a network of communities and tourism-related companies can be developed and wants to see Manitoba’s tourism industry expand beyond Winnipeg and Churchill.
Hinam, who has a PhD in Biology and a background in teaching, launched her own company a year and a half ago. She delivers customized tourism experiences to individuals and groups, from corporate clients from Manitoba and out of province, to travel writers from overseas. She works with groups on team-building activities, like geo-caching, and takes others “who just want to get out into nature” on excursions to various locations in the province.
Prior to starting her company, she was employed at Hecla Resort as a Naturalist and Program Director, from 2007 until the resort closed in 2010.
Hinam has received training in experiential tourism, supported in part by Travel Manitoba. She is on the board of the Interlake Tourism Association (ITA).
Hinam is fast gaining a reputation in the tourism field. She has been short-listed for a sustainable tourism award through Travel Manitoba, which frequently refers clients to her. She has also been nominated for a sustainable tourism award through the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC), the results of which will be announced in November.
