Tourism Medicine Hat

What Tourism Medicine Hat does

Tourism Medicine Hat is the official Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) for Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. It is operated by the Medicine Hat Destination Marketing Organization Society, an industry-led non-profit governed by a board representing Medicine Hat College, Medicine Hat Mavericks, Miywasin Friendship Centre, the City of Medicine Hat, APEX (regional innovation network), and Station Coffee Co. The organization operates under a sole-source contract with the City of Medicine Hat and positions Medicine Hat as "Canada's Sunniest City," leveraging the city's approximately 330 days of annual sunshine, 190+ km of paved trails, proximity to Cypress Hills and the Canadian Badlands, and cultural assets including the Saamis Tepee and Medalta Historic Clay District.

The product portfolio centers on a unified digital-plus-physical platform: tourismmedicinehat.com (Webflow-hosted) acts as the content hub, supplemented by a dedicated ticketing subdomain (tickets.tourismmedicinehat.com), a Business Directory listing 452 local operators across six categories, an Accommodation Directory, an Events Calendar with 270+ listings, and Mailchimp-powered newsletter capture. Physical assets include the Sunshine Trolley fleet (a 2008 Supreme Trolley acquired in 2022 and a 2011 Supreme Trolley added in 2025, with one wheelchair-accessible), the Visitor Information Centre at 330 Gehring Road SW (offering sanidump, water fill, washrooms, maps, and staffed travel counselling), and the Sport & Event Council office at 202 4 Street SE. Guided and self-guided walking tours include Historic Downtown, Murals, Bakery, Coffee, Brewery, Patio, and the Indigenous-led Miywasin Story Tour. The Sport & Event Council provides facility guidance, funding/grant facilitation, economic impact assessments, and bid-document support to regional organizers.

The business model blends four revenue streams: (1) primary municipal funding from the City of Medicine Hat via the DMO contract; (2) transaction-based revenue from ticket sales across 28+ ticketed events, Sunshine Trolley tours, and specialty experiences; (3) subscription/listing fees from 452 businesses in the Business Directory and accommodation providers; and (4) affiliate/commission revenue from travel-trade operators via net-rate agreements. Customer segments split between leisure visitors (primary), local residents (secondary), local tourism operators (primary B2B), and sport/event organizers (secondary B2B). Distribution is multi-channel: organic social (Facebook, Instagram for both Tourism Medicine Hat and the Sunshine Trolley), content marketing (articles section spanning Indigenous culture, outdoors, food/drink, historic downtown), email newsletter, earned media in local outlets such as medicinehatnews, event-driven marketing (Rise Up Hot Air Balloon Festival, JazzFest, Stampede), and the physical Visitor Information Centre. Management is led by Executive Director Jace Anderson, with Nick Wepruk managing the Sport & Event Council function.

Name

Tourism Medicine Hat

Legal name

Tourism Medicine Hat

Website

https://tourismmedicinehat.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Tourism Medicine Hat is the official Destination Marketing Organization for Medicine Hat, Alberta, operating as a non-profit under contract with the City of Medicine Hat. It promotes the city via digital platforms, ticketed trolley and walking tours, a 452-business directory, 270+ events, and a Visitor Information Centre.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Destination Marketing Services

NAICS

Convention and Visitors Bureaus (561591), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation (487), Tour Operators (561520), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Other (48799)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Museum & Landmark Guided Tours (Skip-the-line/Docent-led) (THAJAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Tour & Sightseeing Coach Charters (THAIAIAB)

Keywords

• Destination marketing services
• Guided city tours
• Visitor information services
• Tourism event management
• Local business directory

Headquarters

HQ city

Medicine Hat

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Municipal / Government Funding: Tourism Medicine Hat is managed by the Medicine Hat Destination Marketing Organization Society under contract through the City of Medicine Hat. The organization operates as a non-profit DMO with primary funding from municipal sources, serving to strengthen Medicine Hat's tourism profile through destination awareness.
2. Tour and Event Ticket Sales: Revenue generated from the sale of tickets for guided tours (Sunshine Trolley tours, walking tours, specialty experiences) and events organized by Tourism Medicine Hat. Ticketed events engage 35 local businesses and reach large audiences.
3. Business Directory Listings: Local businesses pay to list in the Tourism Medicine Hat Business Directory (452 businesses across 6 categories), creating a B2B membership-style revenue stream while supporting local operator visibility.
4. Travel Trade / Net Rates: Tourism Medicine Hat offers net rates for travel trade operators, providing commissionable or discounted pricing for tour packages sold through third-party travel operators.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Tourism Medicine Hat is a Destination Marketing Organization that promotes Medicine Hat, Alberta as "Canada's Sunniest City" through a combination of digital platforms (website, ticketing platform, business/accommodation directories), physical visitor services (Visitor Information Centre, Sunshine Trolley fleet), curated tour experiences (guided trolley tours, walking tours, specialty themed tours), and event programming (28+ ticketed events and festivals annually). The organization serves both leisure visitors seeking trip planning and curated experiences and local tourism operators seeking promotional reach through its directory platform.

Product overview

Tourism Medicine Hat is a destination marketing organization that operates a unified tourism platform consisting of digital and physical services. The core offering includes the tourism website with integrated product modules: the Sunshine Trolley Tours (guided trolley experiences), an Events Calendar with 270+ event listings, a Business Directory of 452 local businesses, an Accommodation Directory, Guided Walking Tours (self-guided and guided options), an Experience Guide (digital and print), and the Sport & Event Council supporting local event organizers. These products work together to promote Medicine Hat as Canada's Sunniest City, providing visitors with tour experiences, event discovery, local business listings, and visitor services through both online platforms and the physical Visitor Information Centre.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sunshine Trolley Tours Guided trolley tours of Medicine Hat showcasing local landmarks, historic sites, and attractions. Tours include city tours, specialty themed tours (coffee, breweries, ice cream crawls), and private bookings for events like weddings.
• Events Calendar Online calendar listing 270+ local events including festivals, sports, arts, food & drink, and family activities. Features event submission functionality for local organizers.
• Business Directory Directory showcasing 452 local businesses across categories including accommodation, arts & culture, community organizations, food & drink, retail & shopping, and sport & leisure.
• Accommodation Directory Directory of hotels, motels, bed & breakfasts, and Airbnb options in Medicine Hat and surrounding Cypress County area, with direct links to the Medicine Hat Accommodation Association.
• Guided Walking Tours Self-guided and guided walking tours including Historic Downtown Tours, Downtown Murals Tour, James Marshall Murals Tour, Indy Coffee Tour, Downtown Bakery Tour, Downtown Patio Tour, and Indigenous-led Miywasin Story Tour.
• Experience Guide Comprehensive digital and physical guide to Medicine Hat featuring attractions, events, dining, and unique experiences. Available for download or physical mail order.
• Historic Downtown's Great Big Giveaway Seasonal promotion campaign encouraging shopping at participating Historic Downtown businesses with chances to win cash prizes and gift cards, supporting local commerce.
• Outdoor Adventure Resources Information hub for outdoor activities including 190+ km of paved trails, 6 golf courses, 5 disc golf courses, mountain biking destinations, camping, and paddling routes on South Saskatchewan River.
• Sport & Event Council Services Services supporting sport and community events including facility guidance, funding and grants information, economic impact assessments, marketing toolkits, and event bid documentation.
• Visitor Information Centre Physical visitor center offering maps, Experience Guides, sanidump facilities, water fill station, public washrooms, and staff assistance. Located at 330 Gehring Road SW.

Quantifiable outcome

• Rise Up Hot Air Balloon Festival achieved over 1.5 million social media views in the first half of 2025, demonstrating the organization's capacity to generate significant destination awareness.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• City of Medicine HatcoreOthersTourism Medicine Hat is managed by the Medicine Hat Destination Marketing Organization Society under contract through the City of Medicine Hat. The city provides the primary funding and mandate for the DMO's operations, which focus on strengthening Medicine Hat's tourism profile.
• Medicine Hat CollegecoreOthersRepresented on the Board of Directors through Board Chair Jim Kuehn. The partnership supports tourism education, workforce development, and strategic alignment between the region's educational institution and tourism promotion body.
• Medicine Hat MaverickscoreOthersRepresented on the Board of Directors through Vice Chair Greg Morrison. The partnership also includes sponsorship of the Sunshine Trolley — Children 12 and under ride free on tours, a benefit provided by the Medicine Hat Mavericks.
• Miywasin Friendship CentrecoreOthersRepresented on the Board of Directors through Secretary Carol Syrette. Collaborates on Indigenous cultural programming including the Miywasin Story Tour, Indigenous Spaces & Places initiative, and cultural events throughout the year.
• APEX (Southeast Alberta's Innovation Network)minorOthersRepresented on the Board of Directors through Director Tracy Stroud. APEX is Southeast Alberta's Innovation Network, supporting entrepreneurs and innovation in the region.
• Station Coffee Co.minorOthersRepresented on the Board of Directors through Treasurer Jeremy Knodel, who is the owner of Station Coffee Co. — a local business in the Tourism Medicine Hat Business Directory.
• Medicine Hat Accommodation AssociationminorOthersReferenced on the Accommodation page as a partner for hotel deals and additional information, directing visitors to stayinmedicinehat.com for deals on local hotels.
• Destination Marketing Organization SocietycoreOthersThe governing body of Tourism Medicine Hat — the Medicine Hat Destination Marketing Organization Society is an industry-led non-profit organization that exists to strengthen Medicine Hat's tourism profile through destination awareness. It provides governance, board oversight, and strategic direction.
• City of Medicine Hat (via Great Big Giveaway)minorOthersA collaboration between the City of Medicine Hat, Community Futures Entre-Corp, and Tourism Medicine Hat for the Historic Downtown's Great Big Giveaway campaign, which incentivizes local shopping with cash and gift card prizes.
• Community Futures Entre-CorpminorOthersRural business development organization partnering with the City of Medicine Hat and Tourism Medicine Hat on the Historic Downtown's Great Big Giveaway campaign to promote local shopping.
• South Country Co-op (Fuel Sponsor)minorOthersSouth Country Co-op is identified as the fuel sponsor for the Sunshine Trolley fleet, enabling the tour operations to run.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Visit Edmonton: Edmonton's destination marketing organization. Comparable as an Alberta-based DMO managing visitor information centres, events, business directories, and guided experiences, with broader metropolitan scope but similar core DMO functions.
• Travel Alberta: Provincial tourism marketing corporation for Alberta. Comparable as a destination marketing entity promoting Alberta to domestic and international visitors; functions as an umbrella/partner organization alongside municipal DMOs like Tourism Medicine Hat.
• Tourism Calgary: Calgary's destination marketing organization. Comparable as a larger Alberta DMO operating events, festivals, and visitor information services, but with significantly greater scale, budget, and urban positioning versus Medicine Hat's smaller-market focus.

Direct peers

• Tourism Winnipeg: Destination marketing organization for Winnipeg, Manitoba. Comparable as a Canadian prairie-city DMO offering visitor information, event promotion, guided tours, and business directories for a mid-sized Canadian city destination.
• Tourism Saskatoon: Saskatoon-based DMO operating visitor services, events, and business directories for a prairie Canadian city of comparable size to Medicine Hat. Comparable as a mid-sized prairie-city DMO with similar operating scope and municipal funding structure.
• Banff & Lake Louise Tourism: Destination marketing organization for Banff and Lake Louise in Alberta. Directly comparable as a regional DMO promoting outdoor recreation, guided tours, and Indigenous heritage in the same province, with similar tour operations, event programming, and visitor information centre functions.
• Tourism Jasper: DMO for Jasper National Park in Alberta. Comparable as a regional destination marketing body operating guided tours, accommodation directories, and visitor information services within a similar geographic and outdoor-adventure positioning to Medicine Hat.
• Discover Halifax: DMO for Halifax, Nova Scotia. Comparable as a Canadian mid-sized city DMO operating visitor centres, events, business listings, and guided tours with similar visitor-services structure and municipal partnership model.

Regional players

• Tourism Lethbridge: Regional tourism body for Lethbridge in southern Alberta. Comparable as a geographically adjacent southern Alberta DMO with similar scale and focus on local events, attractions, and visitor information, though primarily serving a different catchment area.
• Tourism Red Deer: Central Alberta DMO. Comparable as a similarly sized Alberta DMO serving a mid-sized prairie city with visitor information, events, and local business promotion, though focused on a different regional catchment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/tourismmedhat
• Facebookfacebook.com/TourismMedicineHat
• Instagraminstagram.com/tourismmedicinehat
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tourism-medicine-hat

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tourism Medicine Hat