By Charlotte Morritt-Jacobs - (@morrittjacobs on Twitter)

Chinook Country Tourist Association Shows Impact of Travel Industry in Lethbridge

May 30, 2016 | 1:11 PM

LETHBRIDGE – Chinook Country Tourist Association is celebrating the significance of the travel industry in the city all week long.

Tourism Week in Canada marries tourism organizations, businesses and other partners nationwide around a common vision of a strong tourism sector that is recognized for its contribution to the Canadian economy.

“Tourism is a key contributor to our economy, not only on a national level but also right here in Lethbridge,” said Nikolaus Wyslouzil, Executive Director at Chinook Country Tourist Association. “Tourism also means business in the Federal Riding of Lethbridge since more than 6,165 jobs and 492 businesses in our region are directly supported by the industry.”

Chinook Country Tourist Association has put in work to develop the upcoming summer marketing campaigns with a focus on promoting natural areas in southern Alberta.

The Association reported low consumer confidence in Alberta in 2016 and many people will take smaller than normal vacations this year. CCTA will try to provide close in opportunities with the intention of increasing travel from regional markets.

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“With summer just around the corner, our new marketing campaign will help show prospective visitors from all over Alberta and other Western Canadian markets the natural beauty and rich cultural history of the Lethbridge and Southwest Alberta region.”

The Tourism Association of Canada (TIAC) is calling on decision-makers to address some of the barriers to our tourism growth.

While the 2016 budget aided international marketing, transportation, attractions and infrastructure, TIAC believes that addressing the challenges in two key areas will facilitate travel to Canada.

Successive international tourism marketing budget reductions and currency exchange have left Canada’s international tourism marketing budget hard done by when completing for market shares.

Canada is the only country that imposes all security and operational-related costs of air travel directly onto travelers, which inflates ticket prices by as much as 40 per-cent. Even with solid airport infrastructure, the burden of taxes and fees serves to dis-incent air travel to and within Canada. Canadian travel visas also continue to be challenging to obtain especially in key growth markets such as China, Brazil, India and Mexico.

Tourism in Canada is a $84.8 billion industry, which supports 614,600 jobs from coast to coast. This represents 9.2-per cent of all jobs in the country, making tourism the third largest job creator in the country. In Alberta alone it is an $8 billion industry providing $4 billion in tax revenues to all levels of government.

The province has seeing a surge in overseas visitors and these tourists pulling out their wallets on local goods and attractions.
Almost 900,000 overseas visitors traveled to Alberta in 2014, up 17 per cent from the year before, according to new Statistics Canada figures.

These overseas visitors spent more than $1 billion in the province, an increase of 22 per cent over 2013.