'The food is to die for': Tourism conference-goers extol Calgary's culinary scene

Hundreds of tour companies and travel agents from across the world are in Calgary to learn about the travel opportunities they can promote to their clients back home.

About 1,800 visitors are taking part in the tourism conference at the BMO Centre, which also includes some sightseeing tours to attractions such as the mountains and Calgary's thriving craft breweries.

• From craft beer to adventure, major tourism conference touts Calgary's charms

KuofangChung, a travel agent visiting fromChengdu, China, says he came to learn more about the options available for his clients.

"We want to promote more itineraries to my clients," he said.

Chung says his clients are mostly keen to seethe sights, take picturesand eat

"The meat, beef, we promote the foodand we promote the beef all the time."

Something new

Mahendra Vakharia, who owns a travel agency in India, says that's exactly whathisclients are interested in, too.

"The food is to die for, you know, there are some super food places that Calgary's got to offer and I think that needs to be highlighted more and more," he said.

Vakharia says he's also looking forward to a trip to Kananaskis this week as a potential new site to promote back home.

"That's one area we want to promote for our self-driver tourists," he said.

"We do a lot of self-drive for our clients, something nice and maybe different than the routine of Calgary-Jasper-Banff-Lake Louise, which is very popular, but we want to explorenewer areas."

Calgary well known

Chung says even in central China, people know about Calgary.

"I think Calgary, it's a gate to the Rocky Mountains. This city, in China, lots of people know the city because we have all your companies because of oil. So, Chinese people know this city."

Barbara Scott, vice president of business development forWaymarkerHospitality an Alberta hotel management company that operates inWatertonand Canmore saysshe's eyeing markets closer to home.

"The Asia market is what everyone is talking about now, China flying into Calgary," she said.

"Really, I think that for our business, being right on the border we're looking at attracting the U.S more. With the U.S. dollar being at the point it is, that's a real opportunity for us."

Leisure up, business down

Tourism Calgary says while business travel dropped last year in Calgary,leisure travel is up 44 per cent.

The hope is the three-day conference will help boost those numbers even further.

Rendez-vousCanadamatches buyers and sellers in a series of brief appointments designed to get lots of potential deals in the works quickly.

The conference runs May 9 to 12 at the BMO Centre. Rendez-vous Canada is held each year in a different Canadian city.

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