Tourism in the Lethbridge area is rebounding, and officials say it will likely continue to grow. (Photo: Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

2023 a ‘recovery year’ for Lethbridge-area tourism

Apr 19, 2024 | 11:22 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Southern Alberta looks to continue building its tourism sector.

Tourism Lethbridge CEO Erin Crane says 2023 was a good year for the local industry and she believes we will see upwards momentum this year and in the years to come.

The estimated economic impact of events last year in the city was just over $18.9 million dollars. She calls it an impressive figure, although it is down by 51.4 per cent compared to the “huge year” of 2022.

The city hosted several major events such as the Tim Horton’s Brier in 2022, which generated $16.8 million in economic activity.

READ MORE: Report: 2022 Brier generated $16.8M in economic activity for Lethbridge

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“In 2023, we didn’t have as many of those, so we did see some big declines. That’s what shows us we need to do a much better job of attracting those events, making sure that they are always in our pipeline for upcoming years so we can provide a little bit more stability to that tourism economy,” says Crane.

It is not all bad news, however, as the area experienced a 28.3 per cent increase in attendance at local events, a 32.8 per cent hike in travellers using the airport, and an additional 5.6 per cent in highway traffic.

As well, while there were fewer events on the scale of the Brier, Crane says one of the region’s strengths is hosting great recurring festivals such as Whoop-Up Days, Street Wheelers, and the Winter Lights Festival at Nikka Yuko Japanese Gardens, as well as sporting tournaments.

“All of those events are so important to our city because they provide that continued visitation and participation, not only from the residents, but everyone around the region,” says Crane.

She continues that Indigenous tourism has been huge in attracting international visitors who want to learn about the origins of Canada, as well as being what she calls a “UNESCO World Heritage hub.”

Within just a few hours of each other, the region is home to world-renowned sites such as Writing-On-Stone Provincial Park, Waterton Glacier International Peace Park, Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, Dinosaur Provincial Park, and the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks.

“Lethbridge is an important economic hub for the entire region that surrounds us. Everyone going through Waterton or stopping at any one of the other UNESCO World Heritage Sites, they’re coming into Lethbridge,” says Crane. “This is, hopefully, where they’re staying, you know. It’s also where they’re grabbing a bite, they’re filling up on groceries, they’re stopping at retail.”

Travel Alberta reported earlier this month that tourism provincially had rebounded to pre-pandemic levels. International visitors spent $2.53 billion in Alberta in the first three quarters of 2023, compared to $2.28 billion for all of 2019.

READ MORE: Alberta tourism rebounds to pre-pandemic levels

Although Crane told LNN that the Lethbridge area has not fully rebounded yet, it could happen sooner rather than later.

She stressed the importance of the community coming together to support bids for other events, both large and small.

The possibility of a new 7,000+ seat arena came up at a recent meeting of Lethbridge City Council. Crane says having the proper infrastructure and facilities could be a key component in attracting more major events.

If the City of Lethbridge decided to go ahead with a brand new arena, it could still be at least 12 years away from opening, so this would be a long-term addition to the city’s event spaces.

READ MORE: Could Lethbridge get a new arena?

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