Qu’Appelle Valley Integrated
Tourism Strategy

Client File Hills Qu’Appelle Tribal Council (FHQTC)
Location Qu’Appelle Valley Calling Lakes Region | Saskatchewan | Canada

The natural beauty and rich cultural history of the Qu’Appelle Valley steadily draw visitors to gather by its four lakes – the Calling Lakes. Although the overall tourism industry in the area was established decades ago, Aboriginal tourism is at an early stage. While welcomed, increased tourism use could place pressure on existing infrastructure, communities, and natural and scenic resources. These pressures, if not managed in an integrated manner, could threaten the very reasons the visitors are attracted to the Qu’Appelle Valley. For these reasons, the FHQTC initiated, with the support of the Calling Lakes Planning District and the Town of Fort Qu’Appelle, the Qu’Appelle Valley Integrated Tourism Strategy project and retained the services of O2. 

By consensus, the project will provide concrete direction for tourism development in the Qu’Appelle Valley. The strategy aims to close the gap between the demand side of the equation – the tourism industry and visitors – and the supply side – the policy makers.

O2 completed the first stage of the three-stage project – Situational Analysis and Strategic Assessment. This stage evaluates the overall tourism environment in the Qu’Appelle Valley. It provides an overview of the tourism planning context, a complete tourism features inventory and assessment, a market analysis, a SWOC analysis and identifies significant tourism areas and Aboriginal tourism development opportunities. From this analysis, a shared vision, objectives and strategies for integrated tourism development in the Qu’Appelle Valley is recommended.