Central MB Tourism getting to work promoting the region
It’s a new day for Central Manitoba Tourism with June Letkeman at the helm.
Letkeman stepped into the general manager role last fall and has set her sights on bringing back the value the tourism agency provides to its member municipalities across the region.
“It’s a huge area,” she says. “We go from Crystal City and Pilot Mound all the way to Emerson-Franklin, and then all the way up to Macdonald, Oak Bluff, Cartier, Headingley, west to Glenboro and Treherne.”
They’re tasked with showcasing what Central Manitoba has to offer, posting about events and tourism sites on their social media pages, drumming up interest in the area at trade shows, and putting together the annual visitor’s guide.
The agency has had a rocky couple of years thanks in part to the pandemic but also staff turnover. So much so, in fact, that they’ve waived their per-capita municipal membership fees for 2024.
“We feel members didn’t get the value for the fees they paid,” Letkeman says. “And that’s why towns were leaving us, and I don’t blame them.”
The Town of Altona, for one, cut ties with the agency last October, citing a lack of return on investment and frustration at the dearth of new content created to promote the region.
“It started with COVID, and then somehow it all got behind,” Letkeman says. “I think when Altona left, it was a wake-up call.
“So this year we have no fees. Everyone’s a member. And I’m hoping to get a rep on the board from every municipality and town and city in our catchment area.”
Letkeman has spent the winter visiting municipal councils to share her vision for the agency and encourage them to get involved in shaping its future.
“I really feel it’s important that they take part—we need an engaged board to be successful.”
Before she was GM, Letkeman was a longtime member of the organization’s board, so she’s no stranger to its mission. She says they plan to reassess the strategic plan they drafted a few years ago to ensure everyone’s still on the same page.
“I want to revisit that as soon as I get my board together so we have a plan to move ahead with and do what we’re supposed to do, and that’s promote our area.”
High on Letkeman’s to-do list has been working to improve the agency’s website and social media presence to do a better job promoting the various community celebrations and tourism draws.
“We’re going to get it much more modern,” she says of the website, “so people can see what’s all in our catchment area. People don’t know.”
She’s also been busy getting the 2024 Visitor’s Guide printed. She’ll be personally delivering the finished guide to communities this month.
“I have something in there about every community in our catchment area, because they all deserve to be mentioned,” she says of all the various attractions and events on the schedule for the year. “I’m sure I missed stuff, but I really did try to get it all in there.”
More people than ever are looking for things to do and see close to home, Letkeman says.
“With COVID, I think, because they couldn’t go anywhere, people got used to it and realized what’s all here. It’s amazing what you can discover.”
The summer ahead is poised to be a busy one for the agency, which hopes to hire a student that will head out to see the sights across the region and create social media content about them.
“I’m very excited about our plans,” Letkeman says. “And I just want the public to know that we’re working hard to get back on track.”
