Reference Number:AB-2023-04306 The primary deliverable of the project is a Regional Trails Master Plan that leverages existing trails, strategies, partnerships, and regional and provincial priorities, laying the groundwork to become an all season, multi-use trail destination and to grow trail-based tourism in the STEP region.
The Plan will equip partners and stakeholders with the shared direction necessary to expand, connect, enhance, and diversify existing trail systems.
The following scopes of work will be completed by the Contractor, under guidance from the Alberta Lakeland DMO;
Phase 1 -Background Review
1. Data assembly
o Undertake a review of all available spatial data, including but not limited to trail inventories, recreation features, recreation and tourism studies/strategies, land use, policy, and regulatory considerations. 2. Benefits and Trend Review
o Undertake a literature review and provide a summary of the health, social, economic, environmental, and cultural benefits of trials.
o Undertake a literature review and provide a summary of the relevant trends regarding trails, trail tourism and best practices. 3. Engagement Plan
o Create a plan to allow for input and feedback by identifying residents, groups, and stakeholders, including indigenous and government stakeholders, to:
i. Generate insight on strengths and weaknesses of current trail system, demand for experiences and opportunity to create trail tourism capacity.
ii. Solicit feedback on the draft Regional Master Trail Plan. 4. Inventory and Classification (desktop and field-based) of existing trails
o complete GIS based inventory and provide a consolidated geodatabase of authorized and unauthorized trails, staging areas and trailheads, and trail infrastructure on municipal and Crown lands within the STEP region. For each trail, collect and provide attributes (i.e. season of use, mode of travel, type of use, activity types, level of challenge, preparedness, and level of development) that allow for classification in accordance with the Trans Canada Trails National Guidelines for Classifying Multi-use Trails in Canada Phase 2 - Evaluation and Analysis
5. Evaluation of Region's Trail Tourism Readiness using established trail tourism readiness framework to determine the gap between current state of trail systems:
o existing marketing and promotion;
o signage and wayfinding;
o governance and framework;
o and operations and management;
compared to the desired state.
6. Trails Tourism Competitiveness Assessment and Product Development
o A review of signature trail experiences provided by the region's competitors to differentiate and identify the value proposition of the trail tourism experience in the STEP region.
o Identify five to eight signature trail tourism experiences that could be pursued in the region (spread across the region to ensure shared benefits) to motivate travel to the region. Phase 3 - Recommendations and Final Regional Trails Master Plan
7. Draft and Final Regional Trail Master Plan
o Prepare a visually appealing and graphically rich draft and final Regional Trail Master Plan report summarizing the planning process, all findings from research undertaken to inform the plan, the desired outcomes and the strategies and actions, including:
i. Framework and governance
ii. Classification
iii. Operations and Management
iv. Opportunity and Priority 8. Council Presentations and Adoption
o Presentation of final Regional Trails Master Plan at each partner's respective council meeting. The method of Contractor Selection has not been Determined at this time.
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