Lethbridge Visitor Centre. (Photo: Tourism Lethbridge)

By David Opinko

Tourism rebounding in Southern Alberta in 2022

May 13, 2022 | 2:42 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB — Tourism has been one of the hardest-hit industries throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, but it appears to be making a comeback.

Erin Crane, CEO of Tourism Lethbridge, says the local sector has already experienced a resurgence in 2022 and she does not see that slowing down any time soon.

Major events such as the Tim Horton’s Brier, Alberta Treaty Hockey Association Tournament, and others in the early months of this year have helped to bring more people into the community.

“We have seen some good numbers coming through the Visitor Center, which is always nice,” says Crane. “It’s a bit hard right now to benchmark for previous years because we are just coming out of this pandemic, but what we’re hearing from the travelers is that they’re excited to be out, they’re looking for things to do.”

There is an ever-growing slate of upcoming events in Southern Alberta that will further bolster the region’s economic recovery.

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Crane is particularly excited about the new Highway 3 Ale Trail, which showcases eight craft beer breweries from Medicine Hat to the Crowsnest Pass.

She was also delighted to see upcoming events such as Whoop-Up Days, the Lethbridge Air Show, and the ATB Financial Lethbridge Rotary Dragon Boat Festival, as well as other activities at Nikka Yuko Japanese Gardens, Galt Museum and Archives, and Southern Alberta Art Gallery later this year.

A key tourism strategy going forward, Crane believes, will be highlighting what makes Southern Alberta unique.

“We’re competing with all of those other destinations, and we need to find those creative ways to differentiate ourselves, and for our area, agriculture is a big part of that,” says Crane. “So, telling that story about food and beverage and how we here in Southern Alberta participate on an international scale in those areas is really important.”

Events and tourist attractions are great, but you still need ways of getting people into the area. That is why Crane says the recent renovations and upgrades to the Lethbridge Airport, as well as the new partnership with Flair Airlines, are so important.

“It kind of helps [to] make travel to our destination that much easier. But with these new flights that were announced … this gives us an opportunity to welcome them into our city just a lot easier and to make it much more seamless. So, we are anticipating that the airport will help boost our tourism economy.”

On a national scale, Canada’s tourism industry is expected to rebound in 2022. The World Travel and Tourism Council says the sector will come within sight of pre-pandemic levels this year, but will not match 2019’s numbers until 2023.

Approximately 300,000 jobs in tourism were lost in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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