LETHBRIDGE, AB – A unique way to promote local tourism this summer.
A three-day, two-night agricultural-based adventure challenge called VisitLethbridge.com Odyssey 2021 is taking place from August 13th to 15th.
It’ll be like the Amazing Race where teams of two will compete for a grand prize of $5,000. The event was put together by the Lethbridge Lodging Association and Lethbridge Exhibition Park.
Shilpa Stocker with the Lodging Association says this aims to be a new, fun experience.
“We thought this would be a cool way for our hotels to get some visitors back and get some visitors into southern Alberta and give them an alternative to the other domestic tourism ideas they may have,” says Stocker.
There will be room for 110 teams. People can enter by going to the Visit Lethbridge.com website.
Here’s how the Odyssey will work. Starting in Lethbridge, the epicenter for food and agriculture in southern Alberta, teams will be directed to follow routes and clues that will take them throughout the region. Along the way, points will be earned by taking selfies or collecting specific items. Competitors’ knowledge will also be tested with a skill-testing quiz.
Stocker says this will give these teams a chance to experience agriculture, a little bit of tourism, and learn a bit about Indigenous culture.
There is a cost to participate. It’s $500 per team, which covers the entry fee, two nights of accommodations, and all the festivities that go along with the Odyssey. Competitors will also receive a special edition Odyssey T-Shirt.
Participants must be 18 years of age and older to take part.
Stocker says the hope is to make this race a yearly event here in southern Alberta.