Weyburn Tourism, which falls under the umbrella of Weyburn Economic Development, has launched a new campaign running throughout the summer.

The “Be a Tourist in your own Hometown” will take place this summer from June 12 to August 31. The aim of the initiative is to encourage the residents of Weyburn to take part in promoting city events and unique features to attract potential visitors.

Weyburn Tourism's objective is to make Weyburn a destination of choice for visitors.

“We are the best place to live on the prairies, and the fifth best place to live in Canada, according to Money Sense magazine, so we need to be the true ambassador to our city,” said Twila Walkeden, Executive Director of Weyburn Economic Development.

“We all know there is a lot of economic benefit to visitors and tourism,” she added. “We wanted to put more of a focus on being a destination.”

“How can we expect people to love our city until we love our city, and until we experience everything that we have to offer with respect to events?” Walkeden posed during last night’s City Council meeting.

Weyburn Tourism is asking residents to visit a unique spot or event in Weyburn, to snap a photo or selfie, and to post it on Facebook or Instagram using the hashtags #thisisweyburn and #weyburntourism.

“We will research all of these hashtags, and there’s going to be a really cool prize package for that person that submits the most hashtags,” said Walkeden.

“How many times have you heard it, how many times have I heard it, ‘there’s nothing to do in Weyburn’? Well, there’s plenty to do in Weyburn,” she noted, listing various events and places, such as parades, arts events, library events, sporting events and charitable gatherings that draw crowds.

“We're really encouraging our residents to get out there and attend events,” she said, noting that Weyburn Tourism promotes more than 100 local events per year.

“We hope that at the end of this event that we have way more appreciation for this and a better sense of value for the excellent city and the excellent events we have to offer.”