Quote:
Originally Posted by marsplasticeraser
Years ago I talked with a senior AB travel-focused politician around the travel industry and how we had a tourism problem.
Everybody sees Canmore, Banff, Lake Louise, Jasper, but the rest of the province doesn't see any of the benefit.
Even worse, it's too crowded and too expensive to go in the Canmore to Jasper corridor. The visitor experience is being ruined.
I shared a few ideas about how we can bring more prosperity to Alberta by strategically investing in the type of travel that brings people to Alberta.
I don't think he had ever hiked, skied, cycled or rafted. He was totally clueless about how unique and special Alberta is.
The solutions are simple and cheap.
1. build out the infrastructure (hiking / cycling trails) so that Crowsnest, Diamond Valley, etc become legitimate spots to be based and explore the mountains.
2. Create provincial bike routes that mimic the Jasper to Banff trip. Loops out to drumheller / badlands, down the front-range, etc. Use existing underutilized tertiary roads and lower speeds like 1A. Make some gravel and some road.
3. Allow world-class environmental infrastructure to be built in the mountains. Easy wins are more camping, but also consider serviced mountain huts that are perfect for lunch after a day-hike, or to string together for a backpack/ski tour. Right now we have limited huts and have super basic ACC huts and luxury huts. We need a middle.
4. Build more user-maintained places, like West Bragg. But make sure you then don't use those places to clear-cut or build mineral processing facilities.
Anyways, we're so close, just need a politician who has vision and understands the opporutnity.
|
Each one of those is the worst idea ever. They only cater to fit people, interested in grueling outdoor activities, are only really accessible/usable half or two-thirds of the year, and only to people in a certain age band. Seniors and people who aren't fit and in possession of a bunch of gear can't do them.
That's not what we need at all. There are a bazillion trails everywhere. It's fine.
What we need are a town or towns with infrastructure (restaurants, hotels, bars/nightlife, doctors, shopping, gondolas, etc. etc.). You need somewhere to allow visitors to recreate regardless of age and/or physical fitness. You need summer recreation opportunities and winter recreation opportunities (e.g. ski hills with hotels/condos/chairlifts). You need easy access to views and natural features.
I've loved - and lived in - the mountains off and on forever. Moved out to Lake Louise the day after my 18th birthday for a six-month stint. Hiking to some stupid hut 24km into the backwoods is my idea of hell. Throwing on my skins and marching over some big-ass mountain sounds awful. Whitewater rafting is super fun...for a few-hour trip every four years.
Honestly, sounds like what you want is an extra parking lot beside one of the 1000 trailheads scattered literally everywhere in the mountains.
We're talking about a tourist town for everyone to recreate...not just fit people between 18 and 54 who don't shower and enjoy digging holes to #### in.