The Alberta government is welcoming collaboration to grow tourism across the country as well as within the province. Culture and Tourism Minister, David Eggen, attended the Canadian Council of Tourism Ministers’ meeting last week and said the provincial government is eager to join their counterparts across the country and industry for their 3-year marketing campaign in the US, which will be launched this Spring.
The Minister issued a statement saying, “It takes collaboration among many partners to grow this multi-sector industry and I am encouraged by what was shared.”
“I applaud the federal government’s commitment to support continued growth of Indigenous tourism in Canada,” he continues. “Alberta is working closely with Indigenous communities to further develop its own tourism industry.”
The Minister also mentioned that most recent numbers from the Alberta Market Monitor show an increase in visitation, up by more than 15 per cent in national parks and more than six per cent at  historic sites and museums, but on the other hand, there has been a decline in business travel.
Lloydminster Tourism’s Katlin Ducherer says Lloydminster in particular has seen some of the trends touched on by the Tourism Minister in his statement.
“In September/October of this past year, we’ve seen a spike in movement from America aircraft, coming into the local airport: sportsmen arriving to hunt and fish…so that corresponds with their talk about an influx in American visitors. With the Canadian dollar being so low, it’s easy for them to come and spend some money in the country” explains Ducherer.
“And another thing–I was just looking over the news release–business travel being down…definitely have seen that in Lloydminster. In 2015, we had an occupancy rate drop of about 28 per cent, and that is due to the fact that we don’t have those business travelers anymore.
However, with regards to regular travel, Ducherer also pointed out that there’s been an increase in local Albertans traveling within the country or the province and staying closer to home because the Canadian dollar is faring so poorly.