Lethbridge, southern Alberta seeing boost from domestic tourism

Tourists have been flocking to destinations in and around Lethbridge, and many of them are Canadians who decided to travel closer to home this summer.

Tourists have been flocking to destinations in and around Lethbridge, and many are Canadians who decided to travel closer to home this summer.

Plenty of people have been coming into the Tourism Lethbridge office asking about things to do in the city.

A large portion of those people are from Alberta.

“For Lethbridge, things are looking really good. We’ve been seeing a lot of visitors again. Our community always steps up and puts on amazing events, which brings in a lot of those visitors,” said Erin Crane, Tourism Lethbridge CEO.

Waterton Lakes National Park is also feeling a surge of domestic travellers.

While more locals are visiting, Americans and other international tourists are still arriving in large numbers.

The Canada Strong Pass, which allows free entry to national parks this summer, is also a big draw.

“It’s been a great season so far. A lot of Canadians, a lot of locals, they’re staying at home, visiting all of our beautiful parks. So, we really are seeing an uptick in day traffic,” said Shameer Suleman, Waterton Park Chamber of Commerce president.

There are also new attractions for tourists to take in this summer.

Saddle Hill Ranch Cabins in Pincher Creek opened a few weeks ago.

The cabins are made from converted grain silos and give guests a first-hand look at ranching.

“People have really loved it. We’ve gotten some really good feedback from the guests that we’ve had so far. Really unique experience. They kind of get a feel of the culture that is the ranching world down here,” said Breanna Green, the owner of the cabins.

Expectations are high for the rest of the summer tourism season as well.

With big marquee events like Whoop-Up Days on the horizon, plenty of visitors will head to southern Alberta.

“We’ve got the Niitsitapi rodeo happening this weekend, Open Farm Days coming up. There’s some really exciting things happening here,” said Crane.