Tourism Valemount director talks plans for Visitor Information Centre
By Abigail Popple, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, RMG
Executive Director of Tourism Valemount Marcie Down has big plans in mind for Valemount’s visitor information centre. In an interview with The Goat, she said she plans on making the centre a place where locals and visitors alike can learn about what Valemount has to offer.
Tourism Valemount recently took over management of the centre from the Village, which had been operating the centre since 2018. The handoff has been in the works since May 2024, when Down first suggested Tourism Valemount taking over the facility to Village staff. Now that the details of the transition have been worked out with the Village and Destination BC – the Crown corporation that supports B.C.’s tourism industry – the centre is officially under Tourism Valemount’s management.
Down hopes the new space will allow Tourism Valemount to increase its capacity. The centre is much larger than Tourism Valemount’s previous office – a tiny 5th Avenue building shared with Royal LePage real estate – which will allow Down to hold meetings and conferences. Additionally, the centre’s operating hours will change: from February to April, it will be open Thursday to Monday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. From May through September, it will be open seven days a week, according to Down.
Valemount residents will benefit from the change, too, Down says. She plans on installing interactive displays in the centre, and changing them from season to season – that way, locals can visit the centre a few times a year, and hopefully learn something new each time. She’s working with the Valemount Museum to include displays from there as well, she added.
Advice from the previous manager of the centre, Wendy Dyson, has been invaluable, Down said. Down plans on restoring some of the programs Dyson ran when she was managing the centre.
“The biggest thing is having interpretive talks here again – having something going on throughout the year to bring visitors and community members and stakeholders in,” Down said. “Making it more of a community centre as well as a visitors’ centre.”
Additionally, Down will make the centre a site where locals can access SuperHost, a series of customer service courses administered by go2HR, the association for human resources and health and safety in B.C.’s tourism industry. While the courses do cost a small fee, Down hopes offering them in Valemount will make the program more accessible for local hotel staff.
These changes will take time, Down said, but she will update locals on her plans through the Tourism Valemount newsletter, website and Facebook page.
“We’re very excited about this endeavour,” Down said. “We’re looking forward to 2025 and all the opportunities there are.”
