By now, it’s well-known the Rocky Mountains are busy — too busy, some would say.
Iconic destinations like Moraine Lake, Lake Louise and Kananaskis Country draw millions of visitors each year, leading residents to complain about overcrowding and over-tourism.
But those with the most power to do something about it — various levels of government and agencies in the region — aren’t necessarily communicating how best to tackle the issue.
Now, a plan known as “destination stewardship” is aiming to improve managing how humans use the Bow Valley and formalize communication between all those powers that be.
“Visitors are coming and they will continue to come,” said Grant Canning, a former Banff councillor who studies tourism management and is leading the work.
“You’re not going to be able to stop it, but you better learn how to manage it and manage it more effectively. It’s really difficult to manage this in silos.”
Decisions made by one jurisdiction often have unintended consequences for others. Canning gave the example that if timed entries started in popular spots like Lake Louise or Lake Minnewanka, visitors will go to other spots.
It’s a challenge Parks Canada and Alberta Parks have dealt with: when visitor management changed in one area, people have flocked to nearby regions.
“If people can’t get into where they want to go, they’re not going home,” Canning said. “They’re going somewhere else.”
Canning said understanding how people move throughout the region is critical to managing the area since it has a “dramatic impact on our landscape.”
He said there’s existing collaboration among agencies when it comes to wildlife and wildfires, but less so with visitation.
Canmore Coun. Tanya Foubert said it’s necessary to have a “shared vision” among area partners, with tourism being a “significant part of council’s strategic plan.”
The plan has early support from the Town of Canmore, Tourism Canmore Kananaskis and Alberta Parks. Other partners identified are Parks Canada, the Kananaskis Improvement District, the Town of Banff and Municipal District of Bighorn.
Canmore Mayor Sean Krausert said destination stewardship would be “absolutely monumentally important to this valley.”
The idea isn’t new. It’s already used in American tourism hot spots.
One group called NoCo Places has existed for about a decade in northern Colorado.
The region is covered in public land such as Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and Rocky Mountain National Park, which get a combined 12 million visitors a year.
“The challenge was so many people going to these locations, they were loving Colorado to death,” said Steve Coffin, the first executive director of NoCo Places. “We wanted to protect the recreation experience, while also protecting environment and wildlife.”
As is the case with the Canadian Rockies’ proximity to growing Calgary, Denver and its metropolitan area of about three million led to high use of trails in nearby parks.
Coffin said he was “worried about losing what makes Colorado special, with its outdoor experience.”
He started meeting with different leaders at all levels of government and public sector service to “break down bureaucratic boundaries” and foster collaboration. Each has different regulations, areas of focus and institutional structures that can be conflicting.
The group has since helped mitigate tourism’s impacts and built collaboration throughout the region with a vision of a “North Star we’re all aiming for,” said Coffin.
Have we reached peak tourism in Banff?
The Alberta government wants the tourism sector to be a $25-billion-a-year industry by 2035.
The All-Season Resorts Act has identified three key areas for growth in the Bow Valley region.
The national parks also have free entry this summer with the return of the Canada Strong Pass.
“The towns of Banff and Canmore are ground zero for all of that,” Canning said. “The ability to work together and with the other partners, including land managers, is absolutely essential to have a better understanding of how best to move forward.”
