Heritage Park battles economic woes, cuts hours, freezes wages

Heritage Park isfreezing wages and cutting its operating hours in an attempt tosurvive an economic slump that has cut its revenueby 30 percent in the last year.

Corporate events and banquet bookings, which are the park'sbread and butter, have plummeted, said Alida Visbach, president and CEO.

"If they're not cancelling their function altogether, they're cutting back on their expenditures," she said.

Admission, which makes up roughly one quarter of revenue,is down roughly 12 per cent since the park's 50th anniversary in2014.

Visitorsare also spending less insidethe village, particularly on food andbeverage.

"People are bringing their lunches more often," Visbach explained, saying she expects the trend to continue.

Parking fees long overdue

To help compensate, the parkrecently introduced parking fees.

"We've been basically subsidizing parking for 51 years. There's a cost to it,maintaining our parking lots and landscaping," Visbachsaid.

"Some people are upset about it, but it's something that all of our colleagues and civic partners are doing. We were the last holdout," Visbach said, referring to Telus Spark and the Calgary Zoo.

Visbach says there areno plans to raise admission rates.

Remaining optimistic

This May longweekend was the first full weekend of the summer season atHeritage Park, and while the cold, rainy weather may have dampened attendance, Visbach said she's optimistic about the coming months.

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"We believe that if the Americans realize that Canada is on sale, and let's hope that they do, that we'll see more American tourists here," she said.

She expects the low loonie will also encourage moreAlbertans to opt for a "staycation."

"We're feeling optimistic that our attendance may be strong this year. Whether the corporate spend is going to catch up, I'm kind of skeptical about that," she said.

With files from The Homestretch