A new tourism project aimed at simplifying travel planning while boosting the economy in southern Alberta has launched. The Highway 3 Alberta Tourism Corridor Development Project is benefiting and bringing together communities and organizations from Medicine Hat to the Crowsnest Pass through tourism. The initiative will focus on developing a unified Highway 3 tourism brand, launching a centralized website and creating curated three-, five- and seven-day itineraries designed to encourage longer stays and increased visitor spending. “May long is the unofficial start to the summer season and tourist season, so this is the perfect time to launch the project,” said Dominika Wojick, senior director of communications with Tourism Lethbridge. Led by the Taber Community Improvement Society, in partnership with Tourism Lethbridge, Tourism Medicine Hat, South Canadian Rockies Tourism, Waterton Lakes National Park and the Town of Taber, the project focuses on growing collaboration between each destination to compete in a more global and experience-driven travel market. “Tourism is a growing economy,” said Amy Allred, economic development manager with the Town of Taber. “We have such great amenities here, but they’re all kind of pocketed around right now, and we wanted to bring them together under one big umbrella to highlight everybody and make everybody stronger.” The initiative will connect destinations together, making it easier to market, sell and invest in southern Alberta tourism experiences. “This is what destination development looks like in practice,” Wojcik said. “By working across communities, we’re opening the door to new opportunities for our businesses, our partners and future investment in the region.” The project received a regional investment of $120,000 through the Government of Alberta’s Northern and Regional Economic Development program. The initiative will build off existing regional strategies, including the Highway 3 Ale Trail and Savour Alberta’s South. “A visitor isn’t just those international travellers, it’s the people coming on a day trip, it’s friends and family coming to visit,” explained Allred. “Those people all make up the visitor economy and being able to tap into that and to increase the visitation at our tourism assets across the region really helps grow our businesses, workforce development and brings in money to the region that wasn’t here before.”
