Meet NEW PRTC Tourism Coordinator
Kellie Verwey By Lisa Kopochinski
W
ith the aim of attracting more visitors to the region, the Portage Regional Tourism Committee (PRTC) was formally reestablished in 2020 to assist with
managing the Island on the Prairies regional tourism brand for the area of Portage la Prairie. Kellie Verwey came onboard as PRTC’s Tourism Coordinator and Promoter this past spring and is the first individual in this
Kellie Verwey came onboard as PRTC’s Tourism Coordinator and Promoter this past spring and is the first individual in this role for quite some time.
role for quite some time. “I returned to the tourism committee in April 2023 as a
What is the PRTC?
contractor,” says Verwey, who worked for the Portage Regional
The PRTC essentially consists of representatives from the
Economic Development as the Economic Development Coordinator and was heavily involved in the Portage Regional Tourism Committee during her tenure with PRED. Presently, apart from the daily operations of managing its social media accounts and website, the PRTC is working on a tourist attraction pathfinding sign project, installing two information kiosks, and redesigning its printed Tourism Guides. Verwey happily recalls June 2021 when the Portage Regional Tourism Committee hosted its very first Burger Days event that spanned seven days and saw 17 restaurants face off to see who would be crowned the best burger in the Portage region. “Since then, we’ve hosted the 2021 Poutine Days and
specializations in different tourism categories: • Heritage and Historic Destinations (Museums, Interpretive Centres) • Outdoor Recreation (Camping, Golfing, Outdoor Exercise) • Indoor Recreation (Central Plains RecPlex, Stride Place, Large Sports Tournaments) • Community-Wide Events and Festivals (Manitoba Air Show, Potato Festival, Portage Ex) • Amenities and Businesses (Portage la Prairie Chamber of Commerce and PRED)
2022 Burger Days. However, the 2022 Poutine Days was
• Local Government Bodies (City of Portage la Prairie, and the
unfortunately cancelled. It’s my hope to bring these events
RM of Portage la Prairie)
back to our region, as the inaugural event injected more than $100,000 of revenue into our local restaurants and brought the community together with some lighthearted competition.”
18
major tourism stakeholders in the region, each with distinct
Portage la Prairie & District Chamber
• Hospitality (Hotels, Restaurants, Entertainment) • Indigenous Tourism
