Who knew there was a bit of Ukrainian in all of us?
Providing cultural experiences may be right in your back yard. With the right people and the right products, you can develop a truly unique experience that can be enjoyed by anyone. A group of tourism operators from Atlantic Canada, coordinated by Tourism Atlantic (ACOA), took part in a series of best practices in experiential tourism in Manitoba. A number of the participants took time during their bus travel from Riding Mountain National Park to Winnipeg to share
This was our experience…
Upon arrival at the Ukrainian Catholic Church Auditorium we received the official Ukrainian welcome and quickly moved on to our first experience. Baking bread was an experience that was new for many but with guidance from marvelous members of the Ukrainian Catholic Women’s League, we all created our own Easter bread. The bread was completed and put in the oven and we were off to a fabulous dinner featuring traditional Ukrainian cuisine including perogies and cabbage rolls accompanied by lively music.
Jana Schott from the Dauphin Economic Development Department was next on the agenda providing great insight on how this experience all came together. A lot of work goes into developing these unique experiences but with the work of committed and passionate partners it came together and was executed flawlessly.
Now the surprise of the day was an experience that most will not be forgetting anytime soon. Gerry, a Ukrainian dance instructor led us in a group dance that had everyone counting steps, twisting, spinning and most importantly laughing and interacting.
What we took from this experience was that it is really about the people. These people were not “in character” preparing for our arrival; they were truly authentic and believed strongly in preserving their culture and giving us all a personal and spiritual connection to them. You can read about and study culture but experiencing it first-hand will leave a lasting impression. Within all our communities, we have these unique people. What we need to do as an industry is find these unique people and let them tell their stories, opening the door to the passion for their culture.
To learn more on experiential tourism and how you can develop unique experiences, contact celes.davar@earthrhythms.ca or visit Earth Rhythms in Manitoba and their blog about The Experience of Riding Mountain.
This blog post was created collaboratively on board the bus to Winnipeg to participate in behind-the-scenes snow sculpturing at the Festival du Voyageur. Blog contributors included: Mike Robertson, Vicki Graham, Bill Kendrick, Perry Gotell, Anne Arsenault, Kristy Sheppard, Peggy MacAskill, Joy O’Neill, Melody Gay, Shannon Ferris, Trevor Kennedy, Johanna Egan.
