But province doesn't rely on scenery alone
IAN STALKER
Tannis Gaffney says Alberta has had plenty of time to hone its tourism trade.
Gaffney, chief marketing officer at Travel Alberta, pointed out to attendees at Rendez-vous Canada 2023 that Alberta entered tourism in a major way when officials decided to comfortably house people eager to see the Rockies over a century ago.
That led to the building of the Banff Springs Hotel, found in Banff National Park, this country’s first national park, with the park created in the late 19th century.
“We were the first tourism destination in Canada. We’re still showcasing the Rocky Mountains,” Gaffney told her Quebec City audience in late May.
The “castles of the Rockies” are open in winter, she continued.
The Chateau Lake Louise and Jasper Park Lodge join the Banff Springs Hotel as iconic Rockies resorts.
But Gaffney said Alberta isn’t simply promoting “breathtaking landscapes,” noting that among other things her province has 6 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, more than any other province.
Among Central Alberta attractions is the Royal Tyrrell Museum in the community of Drumheller, with that museum educating people about the dinosaurs that once roamed what is now Alberta. The area is known for its rich dinosaur fossil beds.
Upcoming Alberta developments include the 2024 opening of a convention centre in Calgary that will be the largest convention centre in the West; and the 2024 reopening of Calgary’s Glenbow Museum.
