Latest news with #TourismLethbridge
CTV News
04-07-2025
- CTV News
Increase in summer highway traffic has southern Alberta officials urging caution, patience
As many hit the road for summer vacations, the Alberta Motor Association (AMA) is reminding drivers to be prepared. As many hit the road for summer vacations, the Alberta Motor Association (AMA) is reminding drivers to be prepared. 'Make certain your vehicle is safe. Do a walk-around on it, check your fluids, check your tire levels, especially if you have a trailer,' said Dennis Porter, a supervisor with AMA's drivers' education. On Friday, a steady stream of vehicles and RVs could be seen leaving Lethbridge on Highway 3 west of the city. 'Throughout the first six months of the year, we do know here at the Visitor Information Centre we've seen an increase in the number of people compared to last year,' said Erin Crane, Tourism Lethbridge CEO. Crane says that number is only going to go up throughout the next two months. Last year, Tourism Lethbridge saw 175,000 people from out of town attend events in the city. In June, the federal government announced the Canada Strong Pass, which includes free admission into Canada's national parks this summer. But Crane says the incentive may actually draw tourists away from the parks and to smaller destinations with fewer crowds. 'This is a great opportunity for us here across the southern Alberta region,' explained Crane. 'We really are that alternative to some of those key areas like Waterton Lakes, Banff and Jasper.' It's not just Albertans hitting the road this summer. Crane says the organization has seen an increase in Americans visiting Lethbridge over the past few months. According to Statistics Canada, in May, return trips from the U.S. at land border crossings declined by 38.1 per cent compared to the year before. 'When we can attract people from the United States, that increases that visitor spending, and even more so if we can attract people from international markets,' said Crane. However, the added traffic does come with an increased risk for travellers. 'The summer months, to be honest, those are usually where there are more fatalities on the roads,' said Porter. According to the Alberta government, 297 people died on Alberta's highways in 2023. Porter says the most proactive thing drivers can do this summer is to be patient on the roads. 'When you're relaxed about your time and you know you're not rushed, you'll have a tendency to be a little bit safer,' he said.
CTV News
10-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Explore Lethbridge app aims to cut through noise when looking for something to do
Tourism Lethbridge has launched the Explore Lethbridge app, to help put the city's tourism offerings into the hands of locals and visitors. Tourism Lethbridge has officially launched its new Explore Lethbridge app. The app is available online, with no download required, at The platform is helping to put the city's diverse tourism offerings into the hands of locals and visitors alike. The app debuts with a curated experience called 'Sip, Taste, Explore' that invites users to discover a mix of culinary hot spots, local attractions and retail shops. Tourism Lethbridge says the app will serve as a hub for everything happening in the city. 'We have so much on our website (and) there's so much on everybody else's websites, so between ourselves, between our partners, between the local businesses, there's so much out there and when you Google what's there to do in Lethbridge, you get a million different things,' said Dominika Wojcik, Tourism Lethbridge senior director of communications. 'What we're trying to do is really curate those experiences for people, so that they can just pull up the app and have everything in one spot and be able to quickly figure out where they want to go.' Tourism Lethbridge worked with the University of Lethbridge to develop the app. The platform will also provide the organization with check-in data to help identify visitor interests and movement patterns throughout the city.
CTV News
05-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Nikka Yuko executive director Michelle Day Miles earns prestigious certification
Nikka Yuko's executive director has been given a prestigious certification. Michelle Day Miles earned the certified destination management executive designation. The certification is the highest individual accreditation in the tourism industry, which only about 400 people in the world have earned. Day Miles has spent the past four years working toward the designation. She believes her new designation will not only help Nikka Yuko but also the tourism industry in Lethbridge as a whole. Nikka Yuko executive director Michelle Day Miles has earned a prestigious certification, the certified destination management executive designation. Nikka Yuko executive director Michelle Day Miles has earned a prestigious certification, the certified destination management executive designation. 'I want to make sure that taking that course, so I could understand all levels of destination management and all the stakeholders that I need to engage here to take Nikka Yuko and the City of Lethbridge into that larger global scale, in the tourism industry,' said Day Miles. Day Miles has also sat on the Tourism Lethbridge board for five years and served as board chair for three.
CTV News
04-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Tourists expected to flock to southern Alberta this summer
LETHBRIDGE, ALTA. — The warm weather means the travel season is almost here, and those in the tourism industry are expecting it to be a busy summer in southern Alberta. Tourist hot spots are gearing up for what they hope will be a busy summer. 'We are seeing some optimism. We're also seeing a lot more visitors coming in. Our U.S. numbers are up from those crossing the border from the same time last year, and we're anticipating some additional domestic travel,' said Erin Crane, the CEO of Tourism Lethbridge. Most tourist destinations are expecting a surge in domestic visitors. Many Canadians have cancelled American holiday plans due to the ongoing trade war. Tourism Lethbridge Tourism Lethbridge is preparing for a busy summer travel season in 2025. (CTV News) International visitors may also be choosing Canada this summer over the United States. 'But we also know that this creates an opportunity for those travellers from farther afield. And we are seeing the interest there from, you know, our European partners, our partners out of Asia,' said Crane. Waterton Lakes National Park has already noticed a big boost in visitors. Last month was the busiest May the park has seen, which could show a trend toward one of the busiest summers on record for the park. 'Waterton looks to be very busy this summer. You know, we still have a good chunk of our American tourism coming. International tourism is up. And Canadian tourism is up. I think a lot of folks are staying home this year,' said Shameer Suleman, president of the Waterton Chamber of Commerce. Tourist destinations south of the border, meanwhile, are preparing for a potential drop in Canadian visitors. Whitefish, Montana has seen about a 20 per cent drop in Canadian tourists this year. But a rise in domestic American travellers could help offset those losses. '(It) remains to be seen in terms of how summertime will play out. I mean, we do have, you know, Glacier National Park, so many, you know, recreational amenities that are so close to the border,' said Brian Schott, Explore Whitefish's media relations manager. 'So, it still remains to be seen. We hope to see our Canadian friends in Whitefish for sure.' About 175,000 people from outside Lethbridge attended events in the city last year.
Global News
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Global News
Whoop-Up Days could be bigger than ever, tourism expert says
The 2025 Whoop-Up Days programming has been announced, with headlining acts such as Trooper and Chad Brownlee set to take the stage in Lethbridge, Alta., this August. Organizers say they've made a concerted effort to ensure Canadian and even local talent is at the forefront this year, while also making the show better than ever. 'We try to make it a little bit better and a little bit bigger each year and this year, I think we've done that,' said Paul Kingsmith, director of event development at Lethbridge and District Exhibition. He says the 'stay local' movement that was born out of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs and statements against Canada has simply helped their cause, as opposed to directly sparking it. 'It's nice that it worked out that way, that maybe there is more of a local focus this year, but it's something that we'd been thinking about for quite a while.' Story continues below advertisement For Dominika Wojcik, the senior director of communications at Tourism Lethbridge, Whoop-Up Days could be an even bigger boost for other businesses in the city this year. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'With a festival experience like this, (visitors) can come, they can enjoy the day at Whoop-Up Days, they can have some fun on the midway, check out the acts. But then they can also go out to dinner, they can also go shopping and checkout Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden, which is just down the street from (the fair grounds). I think it's a really great opportunity for people to come and see more than just what's here and it's a huge gateway for that,' she said. In fact, Wojcik says it could be the biggest year ever. 'Maybe Whoop-Up Days is that excuse now to stay home because we know there's something fun and exciting going on. We have some great acts that were just announced, so, I really think that this year we could see a really high number and maybe double what we saw last year.' The height of Whoop-Up Days attendance was in 2023 when admission was free. Over 75,000 people walked the midway that year, but it tapered off significantly last year with around 40,000 buying tickets as the event returned to a paid model. Even so, the economic impact cannot be overstated. Paired with the summer festival is the Lethbridge and District Pro Rodeo, which is a financial driver for the entire city, according to its executive producer. Story continues below advertisement 'We're probably anywhere between $11 million and $15 million in a six-day, five-day event. Of course, bringing in the pro rodeo makes it even more so by having all those competitors coming in and staying in our hotels and spending money on fuel and all those types of things. So, it's huge,' said Kynan Vine. He says communities often overlook the value of rodeos. 'There's probably not many other events happening every single year in Lethbridge that have an impact in the tens of millions of dollars.' This year, Whoop-Up Days runs from Aug. 19-23, with a special first-of-its-kind wrap-up day on the 24th, a Sunday. The 'Whoop-Up Wrap-Up' will have a limited amount of programs for the final day. Returning this year is the 'Free 'til 3: fueled by Gas King' initiative from Aug. 19-21, giving free access to the fair before 3:00 p.m. every day. The midway will once again be operated by West Coast Amusements, with over 30 rides and games, including some never-before-seen attractions. The Whoop-Up Day parade will kick things off at 9:00 on Aug. 19, snaking its way through Lethbridge. For more details on the programming, including every artist performing, information can be found at
