A bold approach
Higher Ground - A Tourism Sector Strategy guides government actions over 10 years to drive growth of Alberta's visitor economy to $25 billion in annual visitor expenditures by 2035 – growth of 150%.
The visitor economy represents the money and jobs created when people travel to or within Alberta to visit, like spending at hotels, restaurants and attractions.
Tourism contributes significantly to Alberta’s prosperity. It boosts local economies, preserves cultures and languages and raises international awareness of Alberta as a competitive destination to visit, play, work and invest.
The opportunity
Economic outcomes of Alberta's tourism strategy are projected to be cumulative over 10 years (to 2035):
- $203 billion in visitor expenditures
- $159 billion contribution to provincial gross domestic product (GDP)
- $10 billion in tax revenue generation
- 190,000 full-time equivalent jobs
5 key pillars
Alberta has set a target to grow the visitor economy to $25 billion in annual spending by 2035. Higher Ground – A Tourism Sector Strategy will guide this growth through 5 key pillars:
- align leadership to drive coordinated growth across government, Travel Alberta and industry
- attract investment into the development of unique products, experiences and destinations
- address workforce needs to build and sustain operational capacity
- expand access to and throughout the province
- partner with Indigenous tourism operators to expand their offerings
Accomplishments
Since the launch of the strategy, we've made significant progress towards our goal of growing Alberta's visitor economy to $25 billion in annual visitor expenditures by 2035.
These accomplishments reflect strong growth, improved consumer protection, increased investment confidence and expanded opportunities for communities across the province.
Together, we are building a more competitive, resilient and year round visitor economy.
See our accomplishments so far