Waterton Lakes National Park saw an increase in visitors over the summer after the federal government introduced free and discounted admissions for young Canadians to explore Canadian attractions. The Canada Strong Pass was offered from June 20 to Sept. 2. “Early indications are that visitation is up 11 per cent compared to last year,” said Christy Gustavison, visitor experience manager with Parks Canada’s Waterton Lakes field unit. Last year marked the second-busiest year for Waterton Lakes, with more than 540,000 visitors passing through the park gates. “Our Canadian bookings were up 70 per cent over last year,” said Shameer Suleman, owner of the Bayshore Inn Resort and Spa. “Just our Canadian bookings alone, so it was quite a big boost for us.” The increase in visitors was largely due to the federal government’s Canada Strong Pass, introduced earlier this summer. But Suleman says with a push to stay local, businesses were already planning for a busy summer. “What did surprise me was the international traffic; that was up quite a bit and really nice to see,” he said. Suleman says international visitors tend to take in all the experiences and stay for several days, while Canadians may only visit for a day. “The areas where we saw the biggest jumps were in our coffee shops, late-night and early-morning lunches were bought and busier than we’re used to, so we really felt that day traffic and a different type of traveller that we’re not used to,” said Suleman. The increase in people didn’t come without challenges. During the Heritage Day long weekend in August, Parks Canada had to close the gates after capacity was reached. “We’re in the midst of a visitor use management exercise where we look at a variety of factors, including visitation and the tools and tactics that we use to manage them,” said Gustavison. “After a season like this, we are spending the winter finishing up that exercise and looking at areas for improvement.”
