ALBERTA DESTINATION DEVELOPMENT PLANS
helping build a successful visitor economy
Client
Travel Alberta
Project Type
Destination Development, tourism and resort planning
Location
Alberta Foothills, S Canadian Rockies and NE Lakelands Tourism Development Zones
Status
Completed March 2023
Scope
Engagement, visioning, analysis, strategies and proposed action plan
Collaborators
Floor 13, IBI Arcadis, Jennifer Nichol Consulting and Grant Thornton
Tourism Development Zone Managers
Foothills (Cameron Spence), South Canadian Rockies (Yvonne Chau) and NE Lakelands (Chris Down)
The Need for Destination Development
Tourism is one of the Province of Alberta’s key economic drivers. Though famous for its legacy destinations (including Banff and Jasper), Alberta’s tourism growth and visitor economy has lagged behind some competing destinations, especially its neighbor British Columbia.
The provincial government and Travel Alberta have therefore focused on ‘destination development’—enhancing existing destinations and creating new year-round visitor experiences. In 2022, Travel Alberta issued an RFP to create destination development plans for ten regional Tourism Development Zones (TDZs).
A Collaborative Approach to Regional Planning
EDG Principal Doug Leighton and John Dunn of Floor 13 assembled an excellent consulting team, submitted proposals, and were contracted to complete destination development plans for three of the ten tourism zones. One key reason for their selection was the team’s collaborative planning approach, which aligned with Travel Alberta’s belief that: “Strong community and stakeholder engagement is key to sustainable tourism growth.”
Doug Leighton co-designed the engagement process and led the visioning workshops in all three regions. These participatory workshops brought together diverse stakeholders to share local knowledge and generate a common vision for their region. Participants identified priorities and strategies to achieve their vision, which subsequently helped the project team pinpoint tourism investment needs and opportunities.
The visioning workshops and collaborative planning process formed the foundation for each regional destination development plan and helped build stakeholder support.
Successful Completion and Next Steps
All three destination plans were successfully completed (on time and on budget) in March 2023. These plans became the foundation for higher-level ‘discovery reports,’ which Travel Alberta published here.
Implementation by Travel Alberta and regional DMOs began immediately and is expected to ramp up in 2025 to help achieve the ambitious objectives of Alberta’s Higher Ground tourism strategy.
