The American Peter Starkel has had Regina on his list of places to visit for almost thirty years. But last weekend, as he crossed the city off his bucket list, he noticed an unusual reaction from locals.
“What struck me the most was when I got to the airport, I was going through customs and he said, ‘What is the nature of your visit?’” Starkel said.
‘I said I was just touring. And the man laughed at me.’
Starkel said this became an ongoing theme during his visit and a first in his many years visiting different countries.
“I’ve never had anyone call me for coming to a place.”
Starkel’s penchant for visiting Saskatchewan’s capital began when he lived in Colorado in the 1990s. He regularly tuned into a local cable channel where the TV host read local events before randomly ending with a promotional video for the city of Regina.
When Peter Starkel lived in Colorado, he saw a tourism video for Regina that showed familiar scenes including Wascana Lake and the RCMP. That video sparked his interest in coming to Regina. (Bryan Eneas/CBC News)
The video, which featured scenes of the RCMP and Wascana Lake, had a kitschy ’80s feel that caught his and his roommates’ attention.
“This has always stuck with me. It’s in the back of my mind: one day I have to go to Regina,” said Starkel, who now lives in Michigan.
On a recent business trip to Minneapolis, he happened to see that flights to Regina were fairly cheap and decided to make the extra trip.
But when he tried to figure out what to do during his visit, he noticed a distinct lack of guidance for visitors.
“It’s almost like there’s a tourism vacuum for Regina. There’s really nothing to suggest what you can do as a tourist,” he said.
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American tourist finally experiences Regina after 30 years
Peter Starkel saw a tourist video of Regina in the 1990s and has wanted to come to the city ever since.
He then turned to Reddit to ask for help.
“The very first reaction was, ‘Oh, this guy is just fooling us,’” he said, adding that some Regina residents appear to have a chip on their shoulder about their home.
Eventually, suggestions for local restaurants and breweries started pouring in. Several people suggested that Starkel would play the Roughriders’ home game against the BC Lions. A waiter at the Hotel Saskatchewan introduced him to the visiting team’s assistant general manager, who gave him free tickets in exchange for promising to carry BC Lions merchandise at what Starkel said ended up being the “coldest damn game ‘ was the one he had. d ever attended.
Peter Starkel received free tickets to a football game at Mosaic Stadium, but through an agreement with the BC Lions assistant general manager, he had to donate the visiting team’s merchandise. (Peter Starkel photo)
He also took a trip to Saskatoon, where he unveiled the wonders of the Remai Modern and Wanuskewin, and another quick jaunt to Moose Jaw, a city he said seemed to better promote itself as a tourist destination.
Regina, on the other hand, seemed to be underselling herself, Starkel said. He had hoped to bring home coffee mugs or T-shirts for his friends who had heard him talk about this trip for so long, but those kinds of gifts and other advice about the city as a tourist destination were completely lacking, he said.
“I think you have a great story to tell and I think you need to get better at telling it,” he said.
While visiting Saskatchewan, Starkel took a trip to Saskatoon, where he visited both the Remai Modern museum and Wanuskewin to learn more about Indigenous culture. (Peter Starkel photo)
In response to Starkel’s concerns, the City of Regina says it has two personal tourist kiosks – including one at the airport – a tourism website and a QR code at the hotel where Starkel was staying with links to the city’s events calendar.
“There is undoubtedly more work to do, but we have worked very hard to develop a presence in the city and market to people outside of Regina,” said Jennifer Johnson, deputy city manager.
Despite finding it difficult to connect with tourism advice, Starkel said strangers filled the gap and helped him have an unforgettable experience. He left thinking that Regina was the friendliest city he had ever visited in his many years of travel.
“My weekend would definitely have been very different if people weren’t so generous.”