Cultural tourism in Edmonton
The first French tourist guide of Alberta was developed and published in 2001-2002 by the Réseau de développement économique et de l’employabilité (RDÉE) Alberta, and the Chambre économique de l’Alberta, which is located in Edmonton and serves the entire province. The following year, 60,000 copies of the guide were distributed and the organisation participated in an international tourisme convent at the Salon mondial du Tourisme in France. At the time, more that 251 Francophone businesses were in operation in Alberta, providing services in French. By 2003-2004, they had obtained partners to promote their product to the tune of $527 000, of which 22 were private investors and the others from the government. The financial support of the government through Travel Alberta made possible a sustained campaign in France and in Quebec. The results of 2004-2005 were similar, continuing along the same lines in which they had been so successful.
The very attractive tourist guide continues to be published. An emphasis has been put on the particular contributions of the French or the aspects of cultural life which would be of interest to tourists, and in this way differs from the English language guide of Travel Alberta. The repertoire is a series of short vignettes on the French presence in Alberta.. The following link will allow the reader to order a copy of the guide, available in French only.