Rocky Mountains top tourism draw among all Canada’s national parks

Alberta’s iconic Rockies trump all other national parks when it comes to tourism spending.

EDMONTON — Ontario has Point Pelee, New Brunswick’s got the Bay of Fundy — but when it comes to tourism dollars, nothing trumps Alberta’s iconic Rocky Mountain vistas.

A new report on the economic impact of Canada’s national parks and historic sites suggests that visitors spend significantly more money in Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper than they do at Parks Canada sites in other provinces.

“Alberta has some of the greatest parks in the country,” said Andrew Campbell, Parks Canada’s vice-president of visitor experience.

According to the study, released Thursday, visitors to the province’s national parks and historic sites spent close to $1.5 billion in 2009. That means that more than half of the economic impact of Canada’s park system is enjoyed by Alberta.

Compare that to neighbouring British Columbia. The province boasts 1,000-year-old cedars and coastal rainforests as well as rugged peaks, but tourists spent only $345 million in B.C’s national parks.

That doesn’t surprise Bruce Okabe, chief executive of Travel Alberta.

He said most travellers typically associate Alberta as the place in Canada with mountains and glaciers, even though B.C. has them, too.

“The Canadian Rockies are an iconic brand. Pretty well anywhere in this world, people know exactly where they are and what they are,” Okabe said.

Alberta’s tourism economy is fuelled by places like Waterton Lakes National Park and Lake Louise — and the fact that many of the parks are close to each other is a bonus for the industry, said Okabe.

“Once people arrive, they usually go to Banff first. It’s not that much farther to go to Lake Louise and one of the classic drives in North America is the Icefields Parkway. And then it’s not that far to Jasper.”

All told, tourists are pouring more than $2.5 billion into the Canadian economy by visiting national parks, Environment Minister Peter Kent said.

Parks Canada commissioned the study in a bid to better understand how federal investment in the country’s national park system affects the economies of local communities and businesses.

“It certainly does demonstrate the importance of Banff and Lake Louise as visitor centres. We’re lucky in that we sit on the border of Alberta and B.C. with this phenomenal park system,” said Stuart Back, director of in-resort services for Banff-Lake Louise Tourism.

He said local businesses are pleased to see Ottawa commit to some much-needed upgrades to infrastructure in Banff National Park.

Such changes have a huge impact on overall visitor experience, Back said. “In fact, more of those would be welcome.”

The reason national parks do better economically in Alberta relative to other regions is because people can enjoy the charms of places like Banff year-round, said Crosbie Cotton a spokesman for the National Park Ski Area Association.

But he said Ottawa can do more to capitalize on the appeal of the area — and keep international visitors interested in Alberta as a destination in an increasingly crowded market.

“The ski areas are keen to invest and modernize and they have huge challenges with current government policy,” said Cotton.

Both Sunshine Village and Lake Louise face significant challenges trying to update their facilities, he said.

“It’s been very tough in Banff and Jasper the last few years. We’ve got to turn that around. . . . There’s a lot more to that can be done in a way that protects the environment but enhances the quality of the amenities that people want.”

Speaking to a Tourism Industry Association of Canada conference Thursday, Kent also announced that “most” of the fees at Parks Canada sites will remain frozen until at least April 2013.