Article content continued

The photographer, Neil Zeller from Calgary, recalls trying to capture “the best side” of the city’s skyline from the Edmonton Ski Club in Gallagher Park on a summer evening.

“It was a great spot, and when you capture the river valley, it can’t be beat,” he said.

Renee Williams, director of communications for Edmonton Tourism, said imagery is one of the most important tools for marketing to potential visitors. She said that the new image, combined with the efforts of city tourism partners, can help attract more guests.

”We try to paint that picture with the experience you can get when you’re here. Certainly, we rely on those iconic and historical spots to tell that story and lure people in,” Williams said. “(The new photo) definitely starts that conversation, and it’s up to us to carry on that conversation and make sure they put us in their itineraries.”

Many Edmontonians used Google’s general feedback tool in recent weeks to lobby the company for an image update.

But Alexandra Hunnings, a spokeswoman for Google Canada, said it was really city officials getting involved in the campaign to update Edmonton’s main image on the “knowledge card” that spurred the change.

“The City of Edmonton took it upon themselves to go through the process (and) make the change,” Hunnings said.

In the updated image, two dozen buildings stand in the dusk under a sky filled with grey, yellow and red. The historic Hotel Macdonald shines with a golden glow, the Shaw Conference Centre perches over the greenery and the glass pyramids of the Muttart Conservatory sit below.

Ryan Barkway, branch manager with the city’s marketing services, said they made contact with Google to co-ordinate the change.

“Our goal was and remains that the image Google chooses reflects the vibrancy of our beautiful city,” he said in a statement. “We appreciate Google’s swift response.”

mgoldenberg@postmedia.com