2023-26 Business Plan: Recovery to Resilience

The 2023-26 Business Plan: Recovery to Resilience sets the course to grow Alberta’s visitor economy past $20 billion by 2035. It outlines our plans to drive tourism growth, increasing jobs, growth, and economic diversification, so all Albertans can experience the benefits of a robust visitor economy.

In 2021, we developed the Bootstrap Plan—a three-year plan to recover tourism revenues to 2019 levels by 2024. The Bootstrap Plan’s three-pillar approach links destination promotion (marketing), air access, broadband and transportation initiatives (access), and destination development and support for tourism businesses (place).

Our new business plan builds on the success of the first two years of the Bootstrap plan, as we evolve from industry recovery to long-term resilience and growth.

Key elements of the plan include:

CONNECTED TOURISM ECOSYSTEM

To ensure the most efficient and effective use of resources, we partner with regional and federal destination organizations to support both marketing and experience development activities. 

ATTRACTING HIGH-VALUE TRAVELLERS

We prioritize attracting and retaining high-value travellers: the type of traveller likely to spend more per visit, yield the highest return on investment, travel off-season, visit more often, and make the most significant contribution to the province’s economic growth.

Generally, the farther away a traveller lives, the more time and money they will spend per person per visit to Alberta. That’s why our business strategies prioritize high-value travellers, while still welcoming travellers of all types.

Alberta’s Ultimate Travellers

ENABLING ACCESS TO ALBERTA

Travel Alberta is partnering with airlines and Alberta’s international airports to support new and more frequent direct flights to Alberta from key international markets.

Enabling accessibility means more than just ensuring strong modes of transportation to the province. We’re also working to ensure the visitor experience meets traveller expectations once they arrive.

Travel Alberta works with stakeholders across the government to support visitor-friendly access throughout the province, including business modernization, broadband connectivity, safety, and intra-provincial transportation.

STRONG INDIGENOUS PARTNERSHIPS

Our partnerships and alignment with Indigenous Tourism Alberta (ITA), the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada and Indigenous-owned businesses help create meaningful Indigenous-led experiences that enable Indigenous peoples to share their stories with high-value travellers.

In 2023-26, Travel Alberta will provide $6 million in direct and in-kind support to Indigenous Tourism Alberta. This is the largest-ever provincial contribution towards the development and marketing of Indigenous-owned tourism experiences. 

Learn more

DEVELOPING EMERGING DESTINATIONS

Pre-pandemic, nearly 60 per cent of visitation and 75 per cent of tourism expenditures occurred in the mature tourism destinations of Banff/Lake Louise, Canmore, Jasper, Calgary, and Edmonton. These “legacy” destinations have historically been the focus of Travel Alberta’s promotion efforts.

By developing additional “emerging” destinations, we create more opportunities for Albertans to explore their own backyard, reducing Alberta’s traveller deficit.

We have identified ten tourism development zones (TDZs) in areas with the most significant job creation opportunities and sustainable community economic growth. We estimate that these emerging destinations represent an estimated $15 billion in potential growth between 2025 and 2035.

This approach also encourages rural development, ensuring Albertans in all corners of the province benefit from the economic, social, and cultural benefits of tourism and creating resilient, prosperous communities.

Learn more about our Tourism Development Zones

Read the full plan