Tourism’s revival and growth depends on the ability of tourism businesses to engage in community-led strategies. In many communities, tourism businesses are the main economic driver and a significant job creator. Tourism businesses often take on a leadership role in their community, helping harness resources to create a destination that is ready and willing to accept visitors.
Community partnerships are built on a few core principles or shared values:
- Building trust and respect using methods that promote inclusivity
- Committing to working on shared goals and promoting strategies that benefit the wellbeing of the community
- Being accountable to the community, along with following trusted decision-making mechanisms
To help communities build a productive and lasting partnership, we share here Build Strategic Community Partnerships, one of many checklists available on TourismRecovery.ca, a free resource hub to support the reopening of the visitor economy.
Build Strategic Community Partnerships
Identify reasons and opportunities to engage the community or form partnerships, for example:
- Shared tourism marketing strategies and messages
- Shared services and use of resources
- Need to coordinate shared worker plan
- Coalition to advocate on behalf of industry to influence policy change or seek financial supports
- Infrastructure plan to overcome limitations that impact visitor travel
- Education, training, or employment services to help address staffing needs
- Joint proposals to seek government funding
Identify potential community partners, such as:
- Other businesses that rely on the visitor economy
- Chambers of Commerce
- Economic development agencies
- Indigenous economic development groups
- Education and training providers
- Career development services
- Social agencies (e.g., immigrant serving groups)
Meet potential partners and create a plan:
- Confirm interest in establishing a partnership (formal or informal)
- Clarify shared goals and objectives/purpose
- Identify opportunities to work together and projected outcomes or impacts
- Identify requirements, such as:
- Necessary resources (e.g., money, time, skills)
- Individuals to consult, where needed
- Essential communication and reporting requirements
- Establish a community engagement strategy that considers a range of stakeholder needs:
- Inform: focus on communication to keep the community informed
- Consult/involve: seek individuals to contribute to the planning or execution of the plan
- Collaborate: look for ways to leverage other work or capacity
- Empower: work with individuals who have specialized expertise to address issues and inform solutions or actions, such as Indigenous Elders, legal experts, financial advisors
- Develop action plan
In larger community-led initiatives, consider:
- Establishing a formal working committee/group to lead the community plan
- Setting up an ‘executive’ committee to manage governance requirements and key administration requirements
Develop partnership agreements, considering:
- Purpose
- Governance/oversight requirements
- Strategic goals
- Services and resources
- Funding/financing
- Communications
- Reporting requirements
Maintain partnership engagement:
- Monitor and evaluate engagement strategy, including:
- Effectiveness of communications efforts
- Level and type of community represented in the strategy
- Schedule regular reviews/meetings to review progress and challenges
- Establish communication processes
- Hold collaborative planning meetings as needed (e.g., weekly, monthly)
Download the Build Strategic Community Partnerships Checklist here