The Manitoba government has put out a call for a consultant to look for ways to privatize and divest provincial parks. The following text details the specifics of the Manitoba government's plans.

Evaluating Manitoba’s Provincial Parks

Travel Manitoba is a Crown Corporation responsible for stimulating innovative, sustainable tourism growth in Manitoba’s tourism industry. In partnership with the tourism industry, Travel Manitoba is responsible for tourism marketing, visitor information services, research and public information. This project is funded and managed by Travel Manitoba in partnership with the Parks and Resource Protection Division (PRPD) of Manitoba Conservation and Climate.

OBJECTIVE

The primary objective of the study is to develop the business case for a new Manitoba Provincial Parks’ organizational model in satisfying the department’s provincial park mandate: “Renew the provincial parks strategy to enhance visitor experience, modernize funding mechanisms for park services, and identify opportunities to attract private and philanthropic investment to upgrade facilities.” The study will evaluate the potential to improve visitor satisfaction and increase visitor spending while achieving greater financial sustainability.

More specifically the study will: Evaluate the visitor experience in Manitoba Provincial Parks to identify opportunities for increased visitation and visitor spending; Evaluate perceptions of Manitoba Provincial Park users (E.g. cottage owners, commercial business owners, campers, day users, etc.) on facilities, fee structures, investment opportunities and acceptance of organizational changes; Investigate best practices in other jurisdictions regarding visitor experience, facilities/amenities and services; Investigate park funding, management and cost recovery models in other jurisdictions; Evaluate all 76 operational provincial parks in Manitoba to identify/rank the top 15 parks from a business feasibility perspective. Identify parks that have the most potential to generate significant tourism business, generate revenue and recover costs; Summarize the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of Manitoba’s provincial parks; Provide recommendations and next steps for A new business model for Manitoba Provincial Parks that increases visitor spending, revenues and cost recovery.Investment and divestment requirements for existing infrastructure assets.Investment requirements in visitor programming that meets visitor expectations.

View the full Request for Proposal by clicking here.