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PROGRAM SUMMARY

Amplify your communities and programs

Investment range

  • Organizations can receive between $50,000 and $150,000 from Travel Alberta

Project priorities

  • Foster community alignment around a shared vision for tourism
  • Support regional promotional strategies aimed at growing visitation and driving cash flow to tourism businesses
  • Support tourism sustainability strategies within Alberta
  • Projects must take place between April 1, 2025, and March 31, 2026

Application period

Applications for our 2024-25 intake are now closed. Please check back later this year for updates.

Lacombe Regional Tourism Association used the funds to grow brand awareness, complete destination development foundational research and provide local event support.

Eligible applicants

Your business must fit into at least one of the following categories:

  • Alberta-based destination organizations in rural areas
  • Municipalities, chambers of commerce, industry associations, or not-for-profits with a focus on tourism

Note: Non-municipal partners must have been in operation for a minimum of three years

Ineligible applicants

You are not eligible for this grant if your business falls into one of these categories:

  • Individual tourism businesses and partnered consortiums
  • Business improvement areas
  • Communities represented by a destination marketing organization
  • Hotel consortiums and Destination Marketing Fund groups (DMFs)
  • Retail businesses
  • Restaurants

How to apply

Application details

Please read all eligibility requirements before applying. If you have any questions, please reach out to your destination development manager.

Destination Promotion

  • Targeted online ads as part of an integrated, multi-faceted marketing campaign
  • Creative development and agency support
  • Radio/tv/print advertising that presents a unified tourism message
  • Social strategy and implementation (including costs related to contracted community management)
  • Media and public relations
  • Content development including photography, video and written content (shot list must be included with application)

Destination Development

  • Attraction of business events
  • Destination planning and research aimed at growing the visitor economy
  • Workforce development including educational seminars and building destination capacity
  • Destination programming that is available to visitors on a regular, scheduled basis (daily, weekly, monthly) and is designed for long-term sustainability
  • Tourism membership fees (i.e. Indigenous Tourism Alberta and Tourism Industry Association of Alberta)

  • Salaries, wages or management fees
  • GST/HST
  • Website development

Note: Travel Alberta will not invest in destination development/promotion efforts led by a community that duplicate the efforts of an existing destination organization.

Travel Alberta has the last say on what expenses are not eligible, even if they're not mentioned here.

Expenses must be incurred between the dates agreed upon by Travel Alberta. Expenses will need to be invoiced by a qualified third party and documented in the financial reconciliation.

  • Number of businesses supported as a result of the development/promotional initiative
  • Successful delivery of proposed activity or project

  • Application Period: Applications open in October 17, 2024, and close in November 8, 2024 at 4 pm MT. Late submissions will not be accepted.
  • How to apply: Once the link is live in October 2024, you can access the Grant Management Tool (GMT). You can find the Rural Development and Promotion application form there.
  • Complete Your Application: Fill out the application form completely. Remember, you can save your progress if you need more time or extra information before submitting. Each organization can submit only one application per funding year.
  • Funding Decisions: We have the final say in managing funding requests. Due to the highly competitive nature of the investment program, we may have to say no to some projects even if they meet certain criteria.
  • Funding approval process and timing: The investment decisions for the 2025-26 intake period will be made in early 2025. If Travel Alberta approves your funding request, you will be sent a Travel Alberta grant agreement in early 2025.
  • Receiving the Funds: Once everything has been finalized and the agreement has been executed by both parties, the funding will be deposited in spring 2025, directly in your bank account through an Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT).

Apply for Rural Development and Promotion funding

Applications for 2025 funding now closed.